From cosmos to Dundrum

From cosmos to Dundrum

11 January 2023

A DUNDRUM man has spoken about his special friendship with soccer legend Pelé.

To millions throughout the world the Brazilian, who passed away a fortnight ago at the age of 82, is regarded as the greatest player ever to grace the pitch.

To Mike Dillon, Pelé is regarded as a friend.

After a successful career beginning at Tottenham Hotspur, where he played alongside Jimmy Greaves, Mike would eventually spend his following years sharing a pitch with former World Cup winning captains Franz Beckenbauer (West Germany) and Carlos Alberto Torres (Brazil), Italian marksman Giorgio Chinaglia, Dutch icon Johan Cruyff and, of course, Pelé.

Nowadays, Mike and his wife Cathy are happily settled in Dundrum, but the memories of the razzmatazz of New York and the experience of knowing Edson Arantes do Nascimento — Pelé’s real name — will always stick with him.

“He was an absolute gentleman,” said Mike. “He never came off as a superstar like they do nowadays, even though he clearly was one.

What was perhaps written in the stars for Mike was the series of events which led to him rubbing shoulders with an all-time great.

Former professional player Mike had quite a career, making his debut for English giants Spurs in a 4-1 win against Manchester United at Old Trafford. 

He also enjoyed loaned spells at Canadian-based club Montreal Olympique, as well as English teams Swindon Town and Millwall.

The now 70 year-old grew into his centre back role, although injuries did play a part in his career which opened the door to making the move across the water to join up with the New York Cosmos.

Just two weeks after putting pen to paper in the Big Apple, Pelé joined the American outfit as Mike’s team-mate.

“I began at Tottenham as an apprentice before turning pro, but I suffered a nasty knee injury and to be honest, I didn’t know how bad it was,” he said.

“Only two clubs wanted me then and they were Cardiff City and the Cosmos.

“I missed my train at Paddington Station and took that as an omen. 

“In fact, I can actually remember myself calling the Cardiff manager, Jimmy Andrews, to tell him I would be signing for the Cosmos.

“Around about a fortnight later, they signed Pelé.”

Mike made a total of 150 appearances throughout his playing career, scoring 12 goals in the process, before managing Washington DC-based Georgetown University team Georgetown Hoyas from 1981-83.

Superstar Pelé had joined the Cosmos in June, 1975 after being tempted out of retirement by the Warner 

Communications-owned club with a $2.8 million-per-year, three-year contract that made him the highest paid team athlete in the world at that time.

He had initially retired with three World Cups to his name, winning the first at just 17 years old, as well as netting 589 goals in 605 appearances at club level.

However, Mike believes his move to America was about more than just the money.

“He was already an icon and obviously the money was a factor,” said Mike.

“But he also helped transcend the sport there. It was far behind the likes of baseball or even ice hockey.

“There was usually crowds of about 10,000 at the games but when Pelé was playing there could be any amount up to 60,000, or even more, that’s how big he was.”

Despite his worldwide status and individual sporting ability, Mike got to know Pelé on a personal level and even recalls sharing a hotel room with him.

“I think I may have been the only one in the team who had did that,” reflected Mike.

“We were at a game in Washington and the manager, Gordon Bradley, who had signed me, said that I was sharing with Pelé.

“I will always remember Pelé apologising to me inside the hotel because our door was constantly being knocked by people looking either autographs or interviews,” continued Mike.

“Pelé was very considerate that way, he was apologising to me because he didn’t think it was fair my privacy was being intruded upon and that is something that has always stuck with me.”

This consideration wasn’t a standalone occurrence as Mike specifically remembers one occasion which highlights one of the reasons why he refers to Pelé as a “gentleman”.

“We were in Tokyo and there was a crazy amount of people waiting outside our team bus after a game in hopes of getting his signature,” said Mike.

“Pelé came back onto the bus and told the team to head back to the hotel as he wasn’t leaving until he signed every single one of the autographs for the public who had been waiting.

“Sure enough, about three hours later he returned to the hotel and he had signed them all.”

Of course there were also unforgettable moments on the pitch as well, with one such moment coming at a packed Yankee Stadium where Pelé scored his famous scissor-kick goal.

“I remember the ball being crossed in and I heard him from behind me telling me to leave it,” said Mike.

“He caught it perfectly and the rest is history.”

Mike and Pelé managed success with the Cosmos by winning the 1977 North American Soccer League Championship, in what was the Brazilian’s final playing year.

“Everyone on the team was given commemorative rings for winning the championship as the Americans didn’t hand out trophies or things like that,” said Mike.

“Our name was on each ring, along with Pelé’s name engraved on the side.

“There is only about 20 of those rings in existence and I’m happy to say I still have mine.”

Pelé’s final ever game was an exhibition between the only two clubs he ever played for, the Cosmos and Santos, playing a half apiece for each team.

Following the conclusion of the game, the well-known American magazine Sports Illustrated published a photo of both Mike and Pelé embracing on the pitch.

With Pelé’s stamp of approval, Mike continued to deliver off the field after stepping away from the beautiful game as he owned and operated a post office with his wife, Cathy, in Newmarket, Suffolk.

In fact, Mike’s life has included many colourful chapters which also saw him train horses in America as well as taking up the role of a bartender for a short period of time.

However, with Cathy hailing from Newcastle, the pair decided to settle in their retirement years in the nearby village of Dundrum.

“Cathy grew up around here,” said Mike. “We really like it here, so after selling the post office we thought we should make the move permanent and now we have been living in the village for just under a year.

“I would still watch the football from time to time, but it’s so different nowadays to how it was when I played it.

“I will always have the fantastic memories and Pelé is a big part of that.”