Pelé 1958 Jose Innocente Balas Centro Goal #142 PSA 1 | 1958 Campeonato Paulista

Offered is one of only eight extant prints of the 1958 Jose Innocente Balas Centro Goal #142 Pelé sticker card ever certified by PSA at the time of cataloging. 

The 1958 Jose Innocente Balas Centro Goal set commemorated the 57th season of the Campeonato Paulista, or the State of São Paulo’s top flight league. The defending champions were São Paulo, however Santos, who had won the title in 1955 and 1956 before welcoming their bright new star, Pelé, took the crown back in 1958. 

The set comprises 176 stickers that were used to complete a promotional album featuring players from 16 of the league’s teams. Released in the fall of 1958, collectors were encouraged to completely fill the album with the 176 stickers so that they could exchange it for a motorized bicycle, or if they were missing one sticker for a standard bicycle. Those with up to five missing could enter a raffle for one of four motorized bikes. While many examples of the print offered here may have been turned in to Jose Innocente for a motorized or standard bike, a select few seemed to glean that they would be relinquishing a piece of footballing history and held onto what would become incredibly rare treasures. Across the checklist, PSA has only certified 42 prints. Of those, only eight Pelés have been graded by PSA, with only three receiving higher grades.

The subject of this offering needs no introduction. Often referred to as a Pelé rookie, the Jose Innocente Balas Centro Goal of the teenage phenom for Santos has become one of the most sought after of Pelé’s early rookie offerings. Sporting a vibrant photo that also featured in the 1957 Oliveira & Benassi Balas Equipe release, the Jose Innocente set commemorated a special year for Pelé both at the club level and internationally.

At the club level, Pelé proved himself a goalscoring savant. During the 1958 Campeonato Paulista, Pelé set the record for the competition with 58 goals scored, a record that still stands to this day and overwhelmed the next highest goalscorer, Pepe, who had 28 goals. Santos won for the fourth time and the third in four years, and would go on to a period of dominance while Pelé stayed with the side into the 1970s. It would also prove to be the second of nine straight seasons where Pelé was the top goalscorer, although even he could never eclipse what he had done as he became an 18 year old. 

Internationally, Pelé made his World Cup debut for Brazil in Sweden. At the tournament he dazzled the world’s football fans and became the youngest goal scorer in World Cup history when he knocked in the winner against Wales in the quarterfinals (the last game and goal that Wales would see in the tournament until 2022). He followed that up with the youngest hat-trick of all time in the semifinal against France in a 5-2 rout before helping Brazil secure their first World Cup victory against Sweden with two goals in the final. Pelé became the youngest World Cup winner in history and set the tone for what would become his era. Before walking away from the game, Pelé would add two more World Cup victories to his resume before hanging up his boots for good. 

From the start, Pelé was an exceptional talent, and it was clear that he would make a major impact in the world of football. This example represents the genesis of one of the most important sporting careers in history. Sotheby’s is proud to bring this incredibly rare piece to auction.  

The PSA certificate number for this card is: 69962017.

Going Deeper - Pelé

Often considered one of the greatest footballers of all time, Pelé joined Santos FC as a 15-year old youngster in 1956. He quickly developed into one of the league’s most prolific scorers and attracted the attention of the Brazilian national team. By the age of 16, Pelé was already a frequent goalscorer at the Brazilian club level. 

He gained national recognition as a prodigious forward on Brazil’s 1958 FIFA World Cup championship squad. In six total matches, Pelé scored 6 goals, which tied him for the second most of any player in the tournament. Additionally, he was named to the World Cup All-Star Team as one of the top 11 players at the World Cup. 

Pelé went on to help Brazil recapture the Jules Rimet trophy as World Cup champions in both 1962 and 1970. His three World Cup victories are the most of any player in the history of football. 

At the club level with Santos, Pelé continued to star for nearly two decades. In 19 seasons, the superstar netted 643 total goals. This mark stood as the most goals scored for a single club for over 40 years until it was finally surpassed by Lionel Messi in 2020. 

Upon joining the New York Cosmos in 1975, Pelé brought a new level of popularity to ‘The Beautiful Game’ in the United States. Most notably, he led the Cosmos to the 1977 Soccer Bowl (NASL Championship) in his third and final season with the club. Thanks in large part to Pelé, New York Cosmos matches set multiple attendance records including an NASL-record crowd of 77,691 spectators for the Cosmos’ 1977 playoffs match against the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers.

Pelé was named as a joint winner of FIFA Player of the Century alongside Diego Maradona. After retiring, he remained in the public view as a global icon and ambassador of football until his death in 2022.