Pele was once paid $120K to tie shoelaces before 1970 World Cup match against Peru

People in the sports industry have taken advantage of their platforms to share legendary tales of Pele after the loss of the adored player. One incident making the rounds on Twitter concerns a contract Pelé had with German sports superpower Puma.

The relationship between brothers Rudolf and Adolf Dassler was extensively covered in a lengthy thread shared on Twitter by Joe Pompliano, the creator of the sports industry weekly Huddle Up. Their business, the Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory, was split in half in 1948 as a result of their tense relationship. Additionally, it resulted in the creation of both Adidas and Puma, Rudolf's company (created by Adolf).

Pompliano explained in his Twitter thread how it became impossible to mend the friendship. Pompliano claims that American forces apprehended Rudolf in 1943 and falsely charged him with membership in the Waffen SS, the military wing of the Nazi Party. According to Pompliano in his thread, Rudolf was certain that Adolf had handed him in.

Despite the fact that the brothers had established competing businesses, the success of Pelé inspired them to collaborate once more. Pompliano detailed how Adidas and Puma would come together to form the "Pelé Pact" in the thread in order to prevent a bidding war that "would ruin both firms." Pompliano claimed that as part of the agreement, neither company would sign the player.

On the other hand, Puma orchestrated what Pompliano called "one of the smartest marketing maneuvers of all time" in 1970. In the seconds before Brazil and Peru's 1970 World Cup quarterfinal match began, the brand reportedly paid Pelé $120,000 to approach midfield and ask the referee for extra time to tie his shoes. Pompliano claimed that Pelé was caught on camera tying his shoes as he walked toward midfield, and that Puma had paid the cameraman to get a close-up shot. As a result, millions of people learned Pelé was a Puma athlete.

As would be expected, the Pelé deal enraged Adidas and Adolf, boosted Puma's sales, and exacerbated the animosity between the two brands. Pompliano claimed that the deal was structured in a way that avoided the "Pelé Pact."