Pele reveals he was “very close to joining Napoli, but in the end I thought it right to continue my career in Brazil.”
The legend made the confession at the presentation of a film about his life.
“At some moments I was close to leaving Brazil for a transfer to Europe. I could’ve gone to Real Madrid in Spain, or to Napoli in Italy.
“There was also interest from top European clubs like Manchester United or Juventus, but in the end I thought it right to continue my career in Brazil.
Pele reveals he was “very close to joining Napoli, but in the end I thought it right to continue my career in Brazil.”
The legend made the confession at the presentation of a film about his life.
“At some moments I was close to leaving Brazil for a transfer to Europe. I could’ve gone to Real Madrid in Spain, or to Napoli in Italy.
“There was also interest from top European clubs like Manchester United or Juventus, but in the end I thought it right to continue my career in Brazil.
“I do not have regrets. I was at Santos, who at the time were one of the best teams in the world.”
Pele was approached by then-Napoli President Roberto Fiore, who was at the club from 1964 to 1967.
“It’s true, I made an offer to Santos,” 92-year-old Fiore told Radio Kiss Kiss Napoli.
“I always said the 20th Century gave us three truly great players: Diego Maradona, Omar Sivori and Pele. If I had been able to get Pele to Napoli, the Azzurri will have had all three best in the world.
“I couldn’t sign him because I’d already sold out the season tickets for the entire stadium. To bring Pele to Napoli, we’d have needed a much bigger stadium to fit all the fans in.”