Pele was paid $120,000 to tie his laces at the 1970 World Cup | OneFootball

Highlights

Pele will always be regarded as one of the greatest players to have ever played the game. While there's a tiresome debate over who the GOAT is, with many naming Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, there can be no denying that Pele is the most important footballer ever. Why? Well, he was a pioneer. He was the first superstar in football and the link between the old-fashioned game to the modern-day sport we see today. Sure, he might not have played in Europe, but his work in his native Brazil is enough to earn his status.

Unfortunately the majority of football fans in the world today weren't old enough to truly appreciate Pele in his pomp. However, that's even more reason to look back at old footage of him in action. Those supporters who have only started watching football in the past decade and care very little for the past may not realise that Pele is the inspiration for lots of what you see today and influenced some of football's biggest names over the years.

Not just for footballers themselves but the way in which they play the game. There are plenty of brilliant Pele stories to tell that have surfaced throughout his incredible career. However, perhaps the greatest story of them all was told by Joe Pompliano on X (formerly Twitter). He told the story of how the brothers that created Adidas and Puma became bitter rivals, leading to a $120,000 payment for Pele to tie his laces at the 1970 World Cup.

The story of Adidas v Puma

It all started with two brothers

The story begins with two brothers in Germany way back in 1928. Forming a shoe company, the Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory, Adolf and Rudolf Dassler had significant success early on, but went their separate ways after their relationship soured. The former created Adidas, while the latter launched Puma.

They acted as rivals in their hometown, but both eventually grew rather significantly and both became massive brands. Business was booming for both and as athlete endorsements became a very effective way to build brands, they had success doing so. The arrival of football's first true global superstar, Pele, promised to bring the brand he signed with plenty of money.

To avoid further conflicts and in a rare showing of brotherly loyalty, Adolf and Rudolf came up with the 'Pele Pact' a deal that saw them agree to neither company signing the Brazillian to a deal. They agreed to the deal after acknowledging that a bidding war for his services would likely bankrupt both companies. Unfortunately, only one of the brothers stuck to his end of the deal, though.

The 1970 World Cup saw Pele reveal he'd signed with Puma

They came up with a very smart marketing ploy to announce the news

Despite coming to an agreement with Adidas, Puma soon went back on their word and approached Pele, offering to pay him $120,000, the equivalent of around $1m these days, if he'd just pause to tie his laces in the centre of the pitch shortly before one of Brazil's matches kicked off.

Puma even paid the cameraman on the day to zoom in on the Brazillian tying his laces, allowing audiences all over the world to see he was wearing Puma boots. It was a smart way to announce to the world that Pele was a Puma athlete now, but Adolf and Adidas were furious with his brother sneaking around their agreement and signing the star. It only fueled their bitter rivalry even more.

Puma profited massively from the deal

It brought record sales for the company

While it didn't help his relationship with his brother one bit, signing Pele did wonders for Rudolf and his company. The deal saw Puma make record sales, and it's easy to see why. The Brazillian was one of the most popular athletes on the planet and his star power stretched far beyond the football pitch.

Having him was the sort of endorsement that solidified a brand as a major player and that's exactly what happened to Puma. His exploits on the pitch are legendary, with Pele still the only player to have won three World Cups during his career, having done so in 1958, 1962 and 1970.

That first tournament victory came when he was just 17, scoring twice in the final to defeat hosts Sweden. Younger fans might not appreciate his legacy quite as much as fans once did, but there's no denying he was a very gifted footballer and was seemingly worth fracturing a relationship to the point of no return with your brother.

The sibling rivalry has split the town of Herzogenaurach

People in the town have taken sides

Remarkably, all these years later, the fallout between Adolf and Rudolf, and as a result, Adidas and Puma, still plays a significant role in the brothers' hometown of Herzogenaurach. Civilians in the town have taken sides between the two parties and there are instances of certain shops refusing to serve customers depending on which brand they're sporting at the time.

Fortunately, everything worked out well for all parties in the end. Pele went on to become one of the greatest footballers ever, whole both Adidas and Puma became global brands worth millions of pounds. So, at least, despite the animosity that the two held for each other for long periods of their lives, they still ended up succeeding in their respective companies. There were no losers, even if Adidas missed out on signing Pele.