Thirty-one years after Pele arrived in New York – turning the Cosmos into a phenomenon and turning the country on to soccer – the greatest footballer in history was back at Giants Stadium last night, honored in a tribute to New York soccer along with teammate Franz Beckenbauer at the Red Bulls’ home opener.
Their Cosmos helped lift soccer from an unknown oddity in America to the biggest participatory sport in the country. Now big-spending, big-thinking Red Bull New York – formerly known as the MetroStars – has reached out to that duo to help as it tries to become the country’s first “superclub,” as GM Alexi Lalas predicts.
“I would be very happy to see again Giants Stadium with 60,000, 70,000 people there,” Pele said. “I would like to see an average of 30,000 per game here.”
Beckenbauer is close friends with Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz, the Austrian billionaire who paid $100 million for the team along with a half-stake in – and naming rights to – their proposed Harrison stadium. After running this summer’s World Cup in Germany, he will be “a personal adviser for Red Bull.”
Red Bulls goalkeeper Tony Meola – a ballboy for Pele’s Cosmos teams – called him the greatest player in history; newly acquired striker Edson Buddle was named after the Brazilian star, born Edson Arantes de Nascimento.
He has maintained a residence in the Hamptons, and taken an interest in soccer in the U.S. After seeing the MLS grow slowly, he says the arrival of the energy-drink giant could make this once-moribund franchise a player on the world stage.
“This is a tremendous help,” Pele said. “The big companies that are involved in football are not only in the U.S.; they are in England, Brazil, Germany. Now Red Bull is part of the game.”
But how high are they willing to ante?
Despite acquiring Buddle, they’re looking for another forward to allow Youri Djorkaeff to move back to the midfield. A deal for Colorado’s Jean-Philippe Peguero has fallen through; but long-term, they’re looking much higher – at Ronaldo, arguably the greatest forward of this generation.
“Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane were approached by the Japanese league and refused,” Pele said. “Maybe if they got an invitation to the U.S., it would be different.”
Red Bull reps have spoken to the three-time FIFA Player of the Year; and even though his contract with Real Madrid runs through 2008, The Post has learned Ronaldo is interested in joining former Inter Milan teammate Djorkaeff, who termed the odds of Ronaldo coming “good.”
“He’s very interested. I talked to him about how is my life, how is the club, and he likes his feeling,” Djorkaeff said. “This is good for MLS. It may cost more than another player, but sometimes you have to do it for this type of player.”