- Santos were set to retire number 10
- Pele said he was against idea in old interview
- Plans to be reversed by Brazilian club
WHAT HAPPENED? Santos had planned to retire Pele's famous number 10 shirt in a tribute to the 'King of Football' after his death on December 29th, 2022 following a long battle with colon cancer.
Pele's family had suggested the idea for Santos to honour O Rei's immense legacy at the club. Santos president Andres Rueda initially confirmed that the club would stop using the number 10 shirt from January while the idea of a permanent change was put forward to council members.
WHAT THEY SAID: Rueda told Brazilian outlet BandNews: "We are going to propose to the council that it retires the number 10 shirt. This requires a bureaucratic procedure, a council meeting and approval.
"In the meantime, due to an administrative act, we will no longer wear shirt number 10 from January, hoping that it will become a final decision by our board."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Since then, an old video of Pele has resurfaced in which the Brazilian icon insisted he was against the idea of Santos retiring the number 10 shirt.
"It's better to leave the number 10 because then people will never forget it," Pele said in an interview with the Bolivia Talk Show in 2017.
UOL now report that Santos have changed their mind because of this and will no longer be retiring Pele's famous number.
IN TWO PHOTOS:
Getty
Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR SANTOS?: Pele's boyhood club are set to make a different tribute to their greatest ever player by placing a crown in between the two stars on their club crest in honour of O Rei.