On October 1, 1977, despite a downpour, 75,646 fans pack Giants Stadium in New Jersey for soccer star Pelé's farewell game. In the exhibition, Pelé plays for the only professional teams he ever played for—the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League for the first half and Santos of Brazil for the second half.

Pelé, considered by many the greatest soccer player of all time, finished his historic career in legendary fashion with a beautiful goal (for the Cosmos) off a free kick from about 30 yards to tie the score at 1 near the end of the first half. New York won, 2-1, on a goal by Ramon Mifflin, the man who substituted for Pelé when he joined Santos for the second half.

But the result was a footnote to the celebration for Pelé, who led his native Brazil to World Cup titles in 1958, 1962 and 1970. Pelé scored 12 goals in World Cup play and more than 1,000 in first-class matches during his career.