How Pele transformed football minnows Santos into a world great

Santos had won trophies before Pele signed, but his arrival prompted a long and sensational run of victories that over little more than a decade turned the medium-sized Brazilian club into one of the greatest names in world football.

Pele arrived in Santos in 1956, wearing long pants for the first time in his life and accompanied by his father and the scout who spotted him.

The transformation was quick for both him and his new club.

Santos had won the Sao Paulo state championship before but with Pele in the team they embarked on a glorious run of 10 more state titles and six Brazilian championships.

They also lifted the Copa Libertadores, South America's equivalent of the Champions League, in 1962 and 1963, and the same years won the Intercontinental Cup, the trophy between the best teams in Europe and South America.

In those spectacular 24 months, Santos played in nine tournaments and won eight of them, only losing the 1962 Sao Paulo state championship to Palmeiras because their schedule was so packed they had to play reserves in some matches.

Before Pele's arrival, Santos was a minnow, unlikely to compete with the biggest clubs in Brazil, never mind beat European giants like Real Madrid, Benfica and AC Milan.

Hailing from a provincial coastal city, they were overshadowed in Sao Paulo state by teams like Corinthians, Palmeiras, Portuguesa and Sao Paulo.

In Rio de Janeiro, the other centre of Brazilian football, big teams such as Botafogo, with Garrincha and Jairzinho in their side, were dominant.

The cities of Rio and Sao Paulo boasted populations in the millions while Santos was a small city of 265,000, meaning the club had smaller crowds and less money.

But with Pele in the side, Santos punched well above their weight.

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