Pelé 1958 WS-Verlag Fussball Brazil v. Wales #90 - PSA 3

Sotheby’s is proud to offer this signed 1958 WS-Verlag Fussball card featuring Pelé, authenticated by PSA.

This issue captures one of the defining moments of the 1958 FIFA World Cup: Brazil’s quarterfinal match against Wales. It was in this match that a 17-year-old Pelé scored the game’s only goal, becoming the youngest goalscorer in World Cup history and sending Brazil into the semifinals. The goal marked the beginning of Pelé’s rise on the international stage and remains one of the most important moments of his legendary career.

Issued during the same year as Brazil’s first World Cup triumph, the WS-Verlag Fussball set stands among Pelé’s earliest international card appearances.

The PSA certificate number for this card is: 86651595.

Going Deeper - Pele

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.