Between 1975 and 1977, Pele cemented his status as an exceptional player, lifting the New York Cosmos team to the top of the hierarchy, and “soccer” reached a level of popularity never before seen in the United States, according to AFP.

When the American team approached him, Pele was 34 years old and halfway through his career, but he was able to play a few more games for his soul club Santos.

The Cosmos offered him a “golden bridge” – between three and five million dollars over three seasons, including a record contract – in a battle with Real Madrid and Juventus, who were interested in signing him.

“If you go to Real Madrid or Juve, you will probably win another championship. If you come to New York, you have the whole country at your feet,” says Clive Toye, Cosmos sporting director.

However, soccer, as soccer was called in the United States, and the North American Soccer League (NASL, then MLS) were not very popular, with semi-professional teams playing on worn-out fields.

But the man behind Cosmos, Steve Ross, is none other than the founder of Warner, the movie and record industry giant. He was passionate about soccer and dreamed of creating the NASL as a direct competitor to the American Football League (NFL) and Major League Baseball (MLB), which were then the focus of American attention.

Pele changed Americans’ indifference and dislike of football

“There was only one player in the world who was able to overcome the thick indifference, even antipathy, that football in the United States caused: Pele,” recalls Toye in the documentary “Once in a Lifetime”, dedicated to the glorious epic of the New York club.

Considered the greatest player ever, the three-time world champion has captured the attention of his teammates and growing crowds at Cosmos matches with his technical skills and charisma.

Only in the 1977 season and with the arrival of his compatriot Carlo Alberto and the German “Kaiser” Franz Beckenbauer, the Cosmos won the title.

Meanwhile, “King” Pele, who scored 31 goals in 56 NASL games, achieved the amazing feat of attracting and seducing crowds with soccer.

The Cosmos’ attendance tripled between 1974 and 1975 and again between 1975 and 1977, forcing them to move to Yankee Stadium and then to the 70,000-seat Giants Stadium.

In New York, Pele also cemented the legend of the night owl and the great seducer.

Nightlife: in a limo at Studio 54…

Every Monday, the Cosmos players travel in a limousine accompanied by gorgeous models to Studio 54, a trendy nightclub, where they party until the early hours of the morning with Mick Jagger, Robert Redford and other actors, entertainers and politicians.

Following Pele’s return to Brazil, the NASL enjoyed two more successful seasons before collapsing due to the failure of live television and the disappointment of several teams trying to emulate the Cosmos by recruiting Johan Cruyff or George Best.

Cosmos was forgotten since 1985 and was revived in 2010

The club competes in the division, also known as the NASL, which is considered the second tier after the new North American professional league Major League Soccer (MLS). In recognition of the glitz and glamor of the late 1970s, he brought in Eric Cantona for a brief spell as sporting director and then, in 2015, a star player, Spanish striker Raul.

Kosmos won three titles in 2013, 2015 and 2016. But the NASL disappeared in 2018 and the club now plays in the National Premier League (NPSL), the fourth tier in the US.