The First Chapter of Pelé’s Legend
The most complete and important autograph album ever discovered from the Brazilian team that won the 1958 World Cup
In 1958, before Brazil became a football empire and before its players turned into global icons, a small autograph album was signed page by page by the men who would change the history of the game forever. Long before trophies, endorsements and mythology, this object quietly captured a single, unrepeatable moment: the birth of Brazil as world champion. Containing the complete signatures of the 1958 squad — from Pelé and Garrincha to the coaches, staff and close companions of the team — this album is not a souvenir, but a primary historical artifact from the exact moment football entered a new era.
Original cover of the 1958 World Cup autograph album.
Reproduction is prohibited without prior authorization.
Garrincha at the Height of His Genius, Pelé the Young Prodigy
What makes this album immediately remarkable is that it brings together, in one place, so many soccer legends—most notably two of the most sought-after signatures in the history of football: Pelé and Garrincha.
Both autographs were signed in 1958, as they won their first World Cup—the first world title for Brazil, a nation that would soon become synonymous with football itself. To find these two names side by side, at the very beginning of their international triumph and at the birth of Brazil as the world’s leading football nation, is truly unique.
Pelé’s and Garrincha’s autographs together.
Reproduction is prohibited without prior authorization.
Preserved Across Time
More than sixty years after it was signed, the album remains in very good overall condition. The pages are intact, the paper retains its structure, and the signatures remain clear and legible throughout. A few minor, unidentified stains are present, consistent with the age of the album, but they are fully stabilized and show no sign of active deterioration. The accompanying video presents a careful, continuous leaf-through, allowing an honest appreciation of the album’s condition, integrity, and preservation.
The Greatest in Football History
Pelé is the only player in history to have won three World Cups (1958, 1962 and 1970) and also the youngest world champion, at the age of 17. Over the course of his career, he surpassed the symbolic mark of 1,000 goals, statistics that have never been matched.
An absolute icon, Pelé helped define Brazil as the nation of football and became a global legend, comparable in his sport to Michael Jordan in basketball or Ayrton Senna in Formula 1.
His international influence was especially consolidated in the United States, where he ended his career with the New York Cosmos, playing a decisive role in the popularization of football in the country that will host the next World Cup. There is no doubt that he will be honored with a powerful tribute.
When Pelé Became Pelé
This autograph captures a singular moment in the formation of a global identity. By signing Edson Arantes (Pelé), Pelé consciously links his civil name to the nickname that was beginning to define him publicly. The omission of “do Nascimento” is significant: in 1958, it carried little public recognition, while Edson Arantes was sufficient for personal identification and Pelé was the name acquiring meaning and visibility. The parentheses function as a bridge between two identities — the individual and the emerging symbol. This unique hybrid signature documents the exact moment when Pelé’s name begins its transition from a personal identifier to a worldwide brand. Pelé’s nickname originated from a childhood mispronunciation of a goalkeeper’s name and later became his defining identity in professional football.
One of the very first autographs of “the King” signed under the name Pelé.
Reproduction is prohibited without prior authorization.
All the Legends and the Unsung Figures Who Played Their Part
There are 40 autographs in total, most of which have been identified:
Carlos Nascimento (team physician), Hilton Gosling (Brazilian sports journalist), Mário Trigo (team dentist), Vicente Feola (head coach), Ernesto Santos (team fitness coach), Mário Américo (masseur and general caretaker), Thomaz Mazzoni (sports journalist), Gylmar dos Santos Neves (goalkeeper), Carlos Castilho (goalkeeper), Dilton de Sordi (player), Djalma Santos (player), Hideraldo Luiz Bellini (player), Mauro Ramos de Oliveira (player), Joel Martins (player), Nilton Santos (player), Valdemar Rodrigues Martins, Oreco (player), Dino Sani (player), José Ely de Miranda, Zito (player), Orlando Peçanha (player), Waldyr Pereira, Didi (player), Moacir Claudino Pinto (player), Edvaldo Izidio Neto, Vavá (player), José João Altafini, Mazzola (player), Manuel Francisco dos Santos, Mané Garrincha (player), Edson Arantes do Nascimento, Pelé (player), Edvaldo Alves de Santa Rosa, Dida (player), Mário Jorge Zagallo (player), and José Macia, Pepe (player).
Provenance: A Famous Brazilian Actress Close to Zagallo
The recipient of this collection was clearly an important individual: Heloísa Helena (1939–1999), a well-known Brazilian actress of the period. Heloísa Helena began her career in the late 1950s and became renowned for her roles in films such as A Hora e a Vez de Augusto Matraga (1965) and O Dragão da Maldade contra o Santo Guerreiro (1969), both directed by Glauber Rocha.
Heloísa was a friend of Zagallo, and both were connected to Júlio Mazzei, the coach and manager who later brought Pelé to the New York Cosmos. Having this provenance information is clearly an asset in understanding the context of this exceptional album, and it also helps explain the outstanding quality of the signatures, which—very unusually—were executed with great care and attention.
A Beautiful and very Rare Cover
The album cover depicts a stylized football match in full action, using a bold palette of green, blue and ochre tones characteristic of late 1950s sports design.
Two players contest the ball in the foreground, set against a crowded stadium rendered in layered bands, conveying the scale and intensity of an international tournament. Along the top edge, Swedish flags clearly situate the scene in Sweden, while the discreet inscription “VM 1958” (Världsmästerskap, World Cup) in the lower corner confirms the album’s original purpose.
Both graphic and narrative, the cover functions as a visual statement for the 1958 World Cup and frames the album as a purpose-built artifact from a defining moment in football history. To date, this is the only original 1958 World Cup autograph album—signed or unsigned—known to have appeared on the market.
The autographs of Feola, Pepe, Zito, Vavá, Gylmar, Djalma Santos, Bellini, Nilton Santos, Didi, Mazzola, Dida, and Zagallo.
Reproduction is prohibited without prior authorization.
A Once-in-a-Lifetime Soccer Artifact
This autograph album is exceptional for several fundamental reasons.
• First, it is complete, bringing together all the great figures of Brazil’s 1958 World Cup–winning team — Pelé and Garrincha, of course, but also Zagallo, Gylmar, Djalma Santos, Bellini, Joel, Nilton Santos, Zito, Didi, Vavá, and others.
• Second, each player signed on a separate page, using both full names and nicknames, a practice that is extremely rare and gives the album an unusual coherence and clarity.
• Finally, it contains unique, irreplaceable details: Pelé, aged just 17, signs one of the earliest known autographs with his nickname in parentheses — Edson Arantes do Nascimento (Pelé) — while Nilton Santos adds a small personal drawing.
Taken together, these elements make this album a singular historical artifact. It is currently available for sale to a serious collector or institution. For further information, please contact contato@glorias.com.br