Plymouth Argyle: The day Pele came to town

Pele in action at Home Park in 1973

John Hore will never forget the moment when the footballing icon Pele gestured to swap shirts with him.

It was 14 March, 1973 and he had just faced the legendary Brazilian in front of a 40,000-strong home crowd.

The former Plymouth Argyle player said: "Pele was probably and still is one of the most respected footballers ever to kick a ball.

"I was absolutely delighted to have a shirt and to have been part of that game."

"That game" was a five-a-side match at Home Park between Plymouth Argyle and Brazilian side Santos.

Pele won three World Cups with Brazil and was voted joint World Player of the Century in 2000. He died in December 2022.

Pele visited Plymouth as part of a tour of Europe with his team Santos FC

Argyle beat their guests 3-2 - but in the minds of the Plymouth men who played that day, it was sharing a pitch with Pele that was the real win.

Mr Hore added: "For whatever reason he took his shirt off and gave it to me.

"People say he was the best footballer ever to kick a ball so I'm not going to argue against that".

Mr Hore recalled a "magnificent" atmosphere, and how the Santos team got a "little bit stroppy" in the second half when they were 3-0 down.

"I was more or less in the area of Pele and tried to stay close to him but there was no way I was going to make contact… he stuck a ball through my legs, went round me… I let him get away with it."

John Hore with Pele's shirt from 1973

He added: "There was no way I was going to challenge Pele, he was there to entertain and we all saw what he could do.

"I mean I didn't ask for his shirt and when he made the gesture to exchange it I was obviously over the moon.

"As we all get older you appreciate what a great experience it was to have played against the Brazilians and especially Pele because he'll always be remembered not only as a great footballer but as a great man in himself."

Striker Steve Davey remembers the buzz on the day of the match

Striker Steve Davey, who played for Argyle for 11 years, added: "The whole city was abuzz with the expectations of Pele coming down here."

He remembers a "five-minute warm-up" before the match and the feeling of playing against "top quality opposition".

He added: "When you watch him now and dating back over the years you realise how good he was.

"It's one of those things I'm 75 now so the world's moving on...It feels that long ago."

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Player Derek Rickard said being a "local lad" playing for their home team was "something anyway".

He added: "But to play that sort of game against the best player in the world against half the Brazilian World Cup-winning squad was absolutely amazing for a local lad and I was over the moon about it.

"The thing that stood out more than anything was the crowd, the people that turned up for the game to see the likes of Pele in the flesh."

For Argyle's management, however, it was very much a game of two halves.

Paul Hart, secretary for the former players association of Plymouth Argyle, said a last-minute demand from Santos for more money brought a moment of jeopardy.

He added: "Argyle had no choice but to try and raise the money."

After a failed run around the turnstiles to find the cash, a staff member was sent to a casino in the city centre, returning with "notes in a suitcase".

Pele's number 10 football shirt, worn when he played at Home Park 50 years ago, is on display at The Box in Plymouth.