The best nostalgia for all time the day Pelé and Eusebio met in Boston: “It was madness”
This article was automatically translated from HIBAPRESS, the Arabic version:
Hibapress-Rabat-Fifa
Legend of Portugal, Eusebio experienced a parenthesis as short as it is spectacular in Boston in the 1970s, punctuated by chaotic reunions with Pelé.
Eusebio wore the colors of the Boston Minutemen in North American Soccer League
The “Black Panther” faced Pelé in 1975
His teammate Shep Messing talks about his friendship with Eusebio
We are on June 20, 1975, and in a stadium of 12,500 places in poor condition on the campus of the University of Boston, two living legends of football are finally found on the field.
The New York Cosmos of Pelé face the Boston Minutemen of Eusebio in a match of North American Soccer League (NASL). This meeting marks the first confrontation between the two players since the FIFA World Cup 1966 ™ in England, when Brazil and Portugal had met in the group phase at Goodison Park.
This long -awaited reunion runs in chaos: indeed, the Nickerson Field does not have enough seats, no parking spaces, or even a safety device worthy of the name. Between 18,000 and 20,000 spectators massaged inside the university stage, some of which a few centimeters from the limits of the field.
Pelé and Eusebio, both landed in Nasl in 1975, struggle to find the form in their respective clubs, but they quickly mark this meeting of their footprint. Former glory of SL Benfica, Eusebio opens the scoring on a free kick 12 minutes from the end, before Pélé Equalizes. Hundreds of extras supporters then invade the ground to celebrate the goal of King Pelé.
In the general confusion, the referee cancels the goal, the ball being out of the field before bolishing on spectators seated near Boston’s goal. The supporters think that the ball touched the post before returning to the feet of the Brazilian legend. Eusebio and Pelé, injured in the fray, were then escorted to the locker room for their own safety.
“We just threw ourselves on Pelé to protect him,” said John O’Reilly, the spokesperson for the Cosmos, in New York Times. “The crowd was uncontrollable,” he adds. Finally, after a long interruption, the match is definitively arrested and will be replayed on a later date.
On the ground that day was the American goalkeeper Shep Messing, who had joined Boston at the offseason after being released by the New York Cosmos. Although disappointed not to play with Pelé (which he will do the following season), Shep Messing was delighted to evolve alongside Eusebio.
“Shortly after the termination of my contract with the cosmos, I learned that Pelé had signed in New York. I was disgusted, ”he told FIFA. “I tried my luck everywhere before I try a conclusive try in Boston. One day at the start of the season, (coach Hubert Vogelsinger) enters the locker room and announces that he has just recruited Eusebio, as well as two other Portuguese players. And there, Eusebio entered the locker room … I was speechless. »»
This shock against Pelé will be one of the first Eusebio matches with his new team. During their last confrontation, nine years earlier, the “black panther” had scored a double to offer the Portuguese a surprise victory against the double world champions (3-1).
“For the arrival of Pelé to Boston, there were more tickets sold than available places. There were too many people in the stands, so the supporters massaged along the lines on the ground, ”recalls the American goalkeeper.
It is this too much proximity to the spectators who is at the origin of this incredible end of the match. “Pelé found himself on the ground, probably hit by accident by a supporter entered the field … He had a full-time bodyguard called Pedro who escorted him to the locker room,” he explains. “In all this confusion, Eusebio was trying to help Pelé by pushing the crowd. It was madness. »»
Eusebio Anonymous Agent
Thanks to his Portuguese star, Boston reached the conference final is this season. However, the club being on the verge of bankruptcy, Eusebio did not come out in the host city of the FIFA World Cup 2026 ™. In Boston, Messing and Eusebio quickly became friends during night poker games. The goalkeeper also played a decisive role in the unexpected transfer of the Portuguese striker to Toronto Metros-Croatia.
“Towards the end of the season, we knew that the club was in the red. We hurried to take our check as soon as we received it on Monday morning, ”he recalls. “Then Eusebio had this idea. He told me to pretend to be his agent and contact different clubs. All this by smoking cigars and playing poker. He said to me, ‘Shep, you know people. Call teams from me under a false name. Do this for Wolfgang (Sühnholz) and António (Simões) too ‘. »»
“This is what I did, I never gave my name and I managed to have it signed in Toronto. The following week, I went to the airport to take a flight at Seattle with the team. The club did not have enough money for the tickets and the coach came to tell me that the New York Cosmos goalkeeper had fractured his shoulder and that they wanted to take me back. Boston therefore exchanged me for 20 round-trip tickets for Seattle. The next week, I was flying to New York and Eusebio, he joined Toronto. »»
A crazy evening in Las Vegas with Pelé, Eusebio and Năstase
Shep Messing faced Eusebio several times in Nasl, but their confrontation in 1977, when the Portuguese legend evolved with the Las Vegas Quicksilvers, will remain forever engraved in his memory.
“We arrived in Las Vegas the day before the match, and the next day there must have been a tennis match between Jimmy Connors and Ilie Năstase, with 100,000 dollars in the key,” he said. “I was at the casino with Pelé, Eusebio, Jimmy Connors and Năstase. Around 9 p.m., Pelé climbed in his room to rest in view of our match the next day. Năstase tells us to Eusebio and I: ‘I stay there, we’re going to have fun.’ »»
“Jimmy Connors also leaves to bed and, the three of them, we continue to play casino until four in the morning. The next day, Ilie Năstase declared forfeit to come and see us playing! I made a few stops on EUSEBIO fire and we got into our arms. It was a beautiful moment. I think we lost the match, but it is above all the last time we saw each other (on a field). He was an excellent teammate and a real friend. »»
Shep Messing played a key role in the development of football in the United States in the 1970s. Today, he said he was convinced that the FIFA 2025 ™ FIFA Club World Cup and the FIFA World Cup 2026 will be major catalysts for the development of this sport in North America.
“Just see what (the FIFA World Cup 1994 ™) has done for football. In 1994, the situation was catastrophic here, football level, “said Messing. “There was no professional outside championship at the time. The 1994 World Cup coincides with the beginnings of the MLS and we see today how much the League has grown. »»
“I am convinced that the next World Cup will have a lasting impact on football in this country, because the media landscape and demography have changed since then. MLS growth has been progressive, prudent and financially responsible, but it was slow to set up. The World Cup will be a real springboard for the development of football in the United States. »»
