It speaks to the breadth of Pelé’s impact on football that so many countries hold national memories of his career dear, and Australia is no different. Two years after winning a third World Cup to cement his legacy as O Rei, he and his Santos side arrived in Sydney for a meeting with the Socceroos.

Ray Richards had the task of marking Pelé that day and remarkably, kept him goalless. The 2-2 scoreline in a friendly might be somewhat forgettable, but the affinity and respect Richards developed for The King has not diminished.

‘I broke up, quite honestly’, said Richards, now 76, of hearing of Pelé’s passing in Sao Paulo last week. ‘I think he meant a great deal to a great number of people, millions and millions around the world.’

‘It was a bit of a task. I was given the task early in the week so I knew what was on, irrespective of stories you may hear from Rale [Rasic] that when he told me in the dressing room I went straight to the toilets and vomited. I didn’t, he told me during the week, so I had to get my head around it and myself into the right frame of mind’, Richards told Box2Box.

Few defenders kept Pelé goalless throughout his glittering career, which was spent almost entirely with Santos and Brazil but for a denouement with New York Cosmos. It speaks to his good grace that he could compliment the few who did, and he reserved the highest praise for his battle with Richards.

‘It was an enormous accolade. I’ve got the paper cutting from the German newspaper, and in there Pelé said he’d played against all the top players in the world, the likes of Bobby Moore and Franz Beckenbauer, but the hardest game of his career was against the moustachioed individual in Australia.

‘It wasn’t only an accolade for me, it was an accolade for Australian football. I’ve had the opportunity to sell his shirt a number of times… but I’ve kept it here, basically because I feel it belongs to Australia’s history and I think it should stay here.’

Many praise Pelé for the work he did in growing the game in the USA. Although less-heralded, perhaps he did the same for Australia? Two years after Santos’ visit, Rasic’s side would make the World Cup for the first time. What better way to build momentum and confidence than against history’s greatest?

‘My whole theory on the day was if he got the ball, I was dead. I had to win the ball before he did, that was the only way I could nullify him. I never fouled him once all day. I was thinking more about the overall team performance, which was a strength of the ‘74 boys.

Pelé’s legacy is twofold: he made his mark globally on the pitch, ball at his feet, before cementing it off it with his generosity and geniality. Richards was one of thousands around the world to spend time with him post-career, and could only speak glowingly of his character.

‘He was always grounded, he never let his fame, fortune or ability get the better of him. You see in a lot of videos he was always coming to the kids, talking to the kids. They compare Messi and Maradona to him but the difference was he could sit here with us, just talk in general. He’d want to know about you and what you’ve done. That was the man.’