Pedro Garay only stood 5ft 6in but he protected the world’s greatest player during his whirlwind career with the New York Cosmos
It was 1975, and in his wildest imagination, Pedro Garay never dreamed he would wind up in the middle of this wild, almost surreal scenario. There he was, draped over the greatest football player to ever walk the Earth, protecting him from a horde of pitch invaders.
The Cuban refugee was guarding American soccer’s most precious jewel at the time, the incomparable Pelé. Pelé’s shirt, shorts and sneakers had been ripped off by the over-zealous fans who had come to Boston’s Nickerson Field stadium to watch the New York Cosmos superstar in his first season in North American Soccer League game. “The fans were around the field like ants,” Garay said.
Related: The forgotten story of … when Pelé and the Santos circus came to England
Related: 40 years on: how New York Cosmos lured Pelé to a football wasteland
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