In 1958, Pelé, Garrincha and other members of the national team signed Adidas prototypes for actress Heloísa Helena.
Mini Adidas boots signed by members of the 1958 National Team for Heloísa Helena.
11 cm x 5 cm x 4 cm.
Rio de Janeiro, 1959.
Good condition, old laces, missing 1 cleat on the right boot and 4 cleats on the left boot.
Unique piece.
Last year, during the World Cup in Qatar, I was blessed to find these mini Adidas boots in Brazil, autographed by the players of the 1958 Brazilian national team. The signatures are:
Left boot
N. Santos D. Santos Zagallo Mauro Ramos de Oliveira Castilho From Sordi Zito
There are five signatures that I have not formally identified.
Right boot
Didi Pepe Mazzola Skin Vava Garrincha Bellini
There are two signatures that I have not formally identified.
These mini boots belonged to Mário Zagallo, the legendary player and coach, who signed the boots along with the other players of the 1958 national team. He gave them to Heloísa Helena (1939-1999), a famous Brazilian actress of the time, during her big 20th birthday party in Rio de Janeiro in 1959. The party was held at the Botafogo club, of which Heloísa and Zagallo were supporters. She was a close friend of Zagallo and of Júlio Mazzei, the coach and agent who brought Pelé to the New York Cosmos.
Heloísa Helena began her career in the late 1950s, and became known for her performance in films such as "A Hora e a Vez de Augusto Matraga" (1965) and "O Dragão da Maldade contra o Santo Guerreiro" (1969), both directed by Glauber Rocha.
I contacted the Adidas museum in Germany, which explained to me that these mini boots were unique because they were a prototype made by Adidas shoemakers assigned to the Brazilian team for the 1958 World Cup, who then custom-made the boots for each player. In addition, they are signed by players who many experts consider to be part of the best soccer team of all time. It was even one of Pelé's first autographs (when he was 17). In short, something that I consider absolutely exceptional and unique.
