Haute Exclusive: One-On-One With Pelé

With just about two months to go till the 2014 World Cup kicks off in Brazil, we’re bringing you an exclusive interview with soccer’s most famous player of all time!

Yesterday, Haute Living had the chance to sit down with the one and only Pelé in Miami. We caught up with Pelé and Hublot CEO Ricardo Guadalupe at the studio of Brazilian artist Romero Britto, during the only American stop of the “Hublot Loves Football” Campaign World Tour.

Here’s an exclusive excerpt from our interview with the King of Football:

Haute Living: Do you think Major League Soccer will do well in Miami?
Pelé: Yes! The last two World Cups, the US national team almost qualified for the Final. The base here in the United States is much better organized than in Brazil, maybe than in all of South America. Because, from eight to 20 all the kids play! And to have a name like Beckham is very good.

HL: Who is your pick to win the World Cup?
Pelé: Brazil! Of course, Brazil is always the strong team and the country with the most World Cups. Besides Brazil, I’ve been following two national teams for two years. At the moment I think the two best are Germany, which is very well organized and Spain, because it has been the same team for eight years.

HL: How has soccer changed you?
Pelé: For the better, definitely. The biggest family in the world is soccer. In my time we didn’t have the communication we have now. But Santos, my team, would play all over the world — we stopped a war in Africa! It is one big family and we are better for it.

HL: You’ve won three World Cups, what is your best memory from that?
Pelé: Sometimes the memories are not always the wins!

The full interview with Pelé will appear in the upcoming issue of Haute Living Miami. Stay tuned to Haute Time for more exclusive details.