Legendary footballer Pelé releases new song 'Acredita No Véio (Listen To The Old Man)' with Rodrigo y Gabriela

Legendary Brazilian footballer Pelé has enlisted Grammy-winning Mexican duo Rodrigo y Gabriela for a new collaborative single, called 'Acredita No Véio'.

"We are both big soccer fans," say Rodrigo y Gabriela. "Growing up in Mexico City, we heard many stories about Pelé and the legendary Brazilian team that triumphed at the 1970 World Cup in our homeland. Imagine our surprise and delight to find out that not only is Pelé the greatest footballer of all-time, but is also a very talented singer and songwriter? It is a huge honour for us to collaborate with Pelé on the occasion of his 80th Birthday.”

'Acredita No Véio' was originally written by Pelé in 2005, when working with his regular musical partner, the Brazilian jazz musician and arranger Ruria Duprat, best known for his work with visiting jazz stars Diana Krall, Randy Brecker and Ron Carter.

"I wrote this one because when I used to play with Santos," says Pelé of the track. "The coach used to say that when we lost it was the players' fault, but when we won it was the macumba (black magic) that had helped. The song is joking about that - of course, macumba doesn't win games at all."

Watch the video below.