Moratti said: “We had taken Pelé, but dad was forced to tear up the contract”

The former Nerazzurri president had said that his father had taken the former Brazilian striker, who passed away today, for the ’58-’59 season

Is dead Leather. For those who love football he was a god with fantastic and unforgettable feet. He once said he was close to Milan. But the former president of Inter Massimo Moratti he says that in reality the Brazilian footballer had entered the Nerazzurri club’s radar.

That story was taken up by La Gazzetta dello Sport. Here are the words of the former Inter number one: «When I read about Milan in the Gazzetta I was actually surprised. Maybe, for heaven’s sake, but Inter were certainly the first European club to have that champion in hand. I remember perfectly that we had signed Pelé for the 1958-59 season, he was the little boy capable of surprising the world in Sweden, dad immediately snapped and made sure of it, anticipating other interested clubs. Regular contract, signed and only to be deposited. But as soon as this was heard in Brazil, people went wild against the leaders. So how do you do it… You find an agitated guy who really goes to attack the president of Santos… It was no longer a football affair but a case of conscience and so dad tore up that contract. Reluctantly, he had to comply with the request of the Santos president: on the other end of the phone there was a man who was very worried about his safety…».

«At a more mature age we returned to office but either due to the closed borders or for another reason it did not materialize. In short, we touched and Pelé followed Inter closely during that period, so much so that at one point he praised our Mariolino Corso, calling him the only Italian who would have figured worthily in his Santos and in his Brazil. Mario has always been rightly proud of these words and so are all of us, who have elected him among our most loved champions. It is no coincidence that Mario was called the left foot of God…” Moratti added.