Football legend, Pele was reportedly paid by Puma to tie his shoes in the middle of the field before kickoff of the quarterfinal match between Brazil and Peru during the 1970 FIFA World Cup.
Pele wore Pumas football boots at the 1970 FIFA World Cup; requesting the referee to stop a game in the last minute so he could tie-up his pair of Puma’s and create vital promotion for the Puma brand. He knew the cameras would be on him and so did Puma. And they wanted the cameras to focus on his football boots.
Barbara Smit, in her book “Three Stripes Versus Puma”, states that PUMA employee Hans Henningsen paid Pele $120,000 to wear Pumas..
Pele, born Edson Arantes do Nascimento, is a Brazilian footballer who is widely regarded as the greatest player to play the game. Pele is the winner of three FIFA World Cups: 1958, 1962 and 1970. Pele scored over 1000 goals and played for two clubs: Santos and New York Cosmos.
