1958 Alifabolaget Pele ROOKIE #635 PSA 4 VGEX

In 1948, the Swedish trading card company Alifabolaget started printing cards. The company manufactured a hugely popular soccer card a decade later—the 1958 Alifabolaget Pele. In 2022, it became the first soccer card to sell for over $1 million. The flip side translated explains that Pelé was the youngest World Cup tournament player at 17, congratulates him for winning the World Cup against Sweden, and states that the star has received many professional offers to play for other teams but plans to remain with the Santos club. The only player to win three World Cups, Pelé played in four and captured the world’s imagination in the process. On practice fields for generations, kids pretended to be Pelé when they took a shot on goal as little leaguers assumed Babe Ruth’s persona with each swing. A larger-than-life figure who made a lasting impact on and off the field, Pelé set the standard by which the sport measured every player since he first donned a uniform. When he died on December 29, 2022, Brazil fell into mourning. Fans poured into Urbano Caldeira Stadium, the home of his former club, Santos, and into the streets, waving flags in his honor and chanting “Eternal King.” In his final Instagram post, the always humble Pele paid tribute to Messi, Mbappe, and other stars of today’s game in a passing of the torch—a fitting end to a star who embodied class. You can learn more about Pele’s remarkable life in PWCC's A Guide to Pele's Soccer Cards. https://www.pwccmarketplace.com/definitive-guides/a-guide-to-peles-soccer-cards The certification number on this card has been checked against the third party grader's online database and is active as of 01/05/2024.