PLAYERS who upstaged Pele during his illustrious career are few and far between, but Newcastle's Ray Baartz can claim to be one of them.
Baartz, the former Socceroos vice-captain, was involved in the only match the Brazilian legend played in Australia, at the old Sydney Sports Ground in 1972.
Pele, already a three-time World Cup winner, was playing for his Brazilian club Santos against the Australian national side, in a game that finished as a 2-all draw.
The Socceroos managed to keep Pele scoreless, while former Adamstown Rosebud junior Baartz scored Australia's second goal.
Now 75, Baartz has vivid memories of the game played half-a-century ago, which attracted a capacity crowd of 32,000.
"It was a special time," Baartz said. "Pele was probably at the peak of his powers, so to get to play against him was a real thrill for all of us."
Baartz recalled how the Socceroos had played against a Manchester United side featuring names like George Best and Bobby Robson a couple of years earlier.
"They were superstars, but Pele was on another level," Baartz said.
Baartz explained how spectators, who were literally hanging from the grandstand stanchions, had to wait an extra 30 minutes for kick-off because Santos officials demanded cash payment before taking the field.
He said it was "hard to compare" Pele with other champions from more recent eras, such as Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
"But in my era, Pele was on a different level to everyone else," he said.
AAP reports: It is half-a-century since Pele played his one and only match in Australia but the occasion is still remembered.
The Brazilian soccer legend, who has died aged 82, played for Santos, his club side, against the Australian national team in Sydney in June 1972 at the old Sydney Sports Ground.
Nearly 32,000 watched a 2-2 draw in which the Socceroos denied Pele a goal, though he did make a goal for the visitors.
Though this was an exhibition match, of the sort Santos played all over the world for many years to cash in on Pele's fame, grainy black-and-white video of the clash shows it was fiercely competitive with Pele on the end of some tough tackles.
From one he was awarded a free-kick, which he took and cleverly set up Edu for Santos' second goal.
The Australian team included many of the men who would make history as the first to play at a World Cup two years later including opening scorer Jim Rooney plus Peter Wilson, Manfred Schaefer and Adrian Alston.
Ray Baartz, who missed out on the finals after his career was ended by an injury sustained against Uruguay in the World Cup build-up, scored Australia's second goal.
After his retirement Pele made several trips to Australia, usually in a promotional capacity.
In 1990 he was mobbed in Sydney and Melbourne with fans queuing for hours to buy autographed books.
One of the more remarkable aspects is how many children - who could never have seen him play - were present.
A $200-a-head black tie dinner at the Sydney Football Stadium was attended by the likes of Craig Johnston and Johnny Warren - who was involved in the Australian arm of Pele's kids' soccer schools - as well as cricket's Chappell brothers.
Ian Chappell said at the time, "I have been fortunate to meet with and socialise with many great sportsmen and women, and play against them, but think he is the most impressive sportsman I have ever come across in my life."
