Mariano Rivera shares his star-struck experience meeting soccer legend Pelé at 2014 FIFA World Cup
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The passing of soccer star Pelé has saddened the entire sporting fraternity. The Brazillian soccer legend passed away at 82 in a hospital in São Paulo, Brazil, on 29 December 2022. He had influenced several sports personalities even beyond soccer. One of his most devoted fans is the former Yankees reliever, Mariano Rivera.
Mariano Rivera is considered one of the foremost and greatest closers in the history of MLB. While several baseball fans looked up to him, Rivera had once admitted that he did not have any baseball star as an idol growing up. The only sportsperson he looked up to was the Brazillian soccer player Pelé.
Rivera had the chance to meet Pelé during the 2014 FIFA World Cup Finals, and indeed, it was a star-struck moment for the Yankees relief pitcher. Rivera revealed to Pelé that he was the only person he wanted to meet but never had the opportunity to. The World Cup Finals was a fateful day for Rivera as he finally met his childhood idol.
Mariano Rivera was star-struck to meet his childhood idol
Like every fan upon meeting their idol, Mariano Rivera was star-struck and ecstatic upon meeting the soccer legend Pelé. As we can see in the above-embedded video, the two sports icons share a wholesome conversation in English and Spanish. Pelé can also be found joking around with Rivera and expressing his interest in baseball.
Moments after their meeting, Pele posted a heartwarming reveal made to him by Mariano Rivera. The former Yankees pitcher admitted that the soccer star was the only person he wanted to meet but lacked the opportunity to.
In an interview with YES Network, Rivera admitted that although he loved baseball, he did not necessarily have a favorite player. He had only looked up to one sportsperson, and it was Pelé.
Mariano expressed that he initially wanted to become a soccer player, following in the footsteps of his idol. However, he is grateful for the career path that he chose in baseball. He became one of the Hall of Fame inductees in 2019.
Rivera himself is an idol to several baseball fans and enthusiasts, given his illustrious career in the sport. He has a Win-Loss record of 82-60, an average of 2.21, and 652 saves in his career. Rivera is also a five-time World Series Winner and a 13-time All-Star player. He sure is one of the baseball legends, just like Pelé is for soccer.
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Siddid Dey Purkayastha
(528 Articles Published)