Analysis: Messi’s Arrival in Miami and the Economic Power Shift in Football

—You were the first Peruvian to play in the United States. How did his arrival occur and how much did Pelé influence him?

Santos had had their eye on me since before the World Cup in Mexico ’70. In 1969 we played two games against Brazil, first at the Maracaná and then at the inauguration of the Beira Río stadium, and in both I stood out. At that moment, Zito, the sports manager, on Pelé’s recommendation, came to Lima to tell me that they wanted me. But the Bentín family, who were the owners of Cristal and also my protectors, did not want to let me go because they believed that I was still very young.

—And how does it get there?

Already when he was in Racing, in 1974, Santos arrived in Argentina to play a friendly with César Luis Menotti’s Huracán. They called me to the hotel, with permission from my club, and we talked. They asked me to go to Santos, I accepted.

—Then Pelé went to the Cosmos in New York and decided to take him with him…

Clear. I arrived at Santos in ’74 and Pelé went to Cosmos in ’75. But that year we played together, we understood each other very well, both on and off the field. So he goes to Cosmos, a very poor football team, and then returns to Brazil to talk to me and ask me to accompany him.

RECOMMENDED VIDEO

—What was football like when you arrived at Cosmos?

Much less demanding than what is seen now. It was more like exhibition games. But it improved because the other clubs began to bring figures. Los Angeles Aztecs signed George Best; Tampa Bay, to Rodney Marsh; San Antonio Thunder, Bobby Moore… and so on. The show became a competition.

—Cosmos was from Warner Bros, right? What were those preseasons like in Hawaii or Bermuda, or meeting stars in the locker room?

It was another world. For example, I had already seen Mohamed Ali on television, but every Sunday I had him next to me in the dressing room. Or other figures like Rod Stewar.

—What was Pelé like as a person, as a friend?

Completely normal. He was one of the group. Very good-natured, very calm. He liked to sing, he walked around with his guitar at rallies. Santos had a kind of Hacienda, in the Sao Paulo Mountain, where we concentrated. There was a lake and he liked to fish.

Ramón Mifflin, World Cup winner in Mexico 70 and four-time champion with Cristal, is, possibly, Pelé’s closest Peruvian friend. In the week of O’Rei’s 78th birthday, we delve into his memory.

—How were your last days? Did she manage to talk to him?

Clodoaldo and Manoel María, two former Santos teammates, kept me up to date. I spoke with Pelé a couple of times. He was sick, he didn’t have the will to talk much.

—How did you take the news of his death?

I thought I was immortal. He left me dismayed because he loved him very much, we maintained a great friendship.

RECOMMENDED VIDEO