JosĂ© Fornos Rodrigues has greeted and spoken to many of the world바카라s most popular and powerful people over the last five decades. Yet, he doesn바카라t appear in many photos. ()
With a soft tone, he says he바카라s met the likes of supermodel Gisele Bundchen, football star Kylian MbappĂ© and Russian President Vladimir Putin only because he has a famous friend who hired him to be his assistant.
Better known as Pepito Fornos, he retired this month as the right hand of Pelé.
Since the football great바카라s activities were drastically reduced during his treatment against colon cancer, the veteran assistant has felt it was time to part ways professionally, return to the Sao Paulo countryside, and keep his friendship with Edson Arantes do Nascimento.
The 81-year-old Pelé confirmed the retirement of 79-year-old Fornos a week ago upon leaving a Sao Paulo hospital after his latest treatment.
바카라My great friend, Pepito. You always told me that your hair was gray because of me, so I hope it now regains its natural color,바카라 PelĂ© wrote on Instagram, in a post with pictures of them. 바카라I will continue to work normally, as I still have a few more dreams to fulfill and I바카라ll still play a few more games. Thank you so much for everything and enjoy your retirement!바카라
Fornos first met PelĂ© in the early 1960s, but got closer only in 1969 during a trip to Milan after he secured Varig airline바카라s sponsorship of Pele바카라s club, Santos. That was no small deal as the Brazilian team globetrotted for months to pay for its star바카라s wages.
PelĂ© liked Fornos바카라 business attire 바카라 well-cut suits and nicely combed dark hair 바카라 and thought it was a good idea to start bringing him to events with his sponsors. In 1971, the global icon and three-time World Cup winner asked the airline salesman to work for him, with a little pay raise.
At that time, the most famous sportsman on the planet made $1.5 million a year, split almost evenly between soccer and marketing deals. Their partnership took a break for only one year, when Fornos got married and left Santos. But the marriage didn바카라t last long, and he returned to work for PelĂ©.
바카라I and PelĂ© are the same people of those early days,바카라 Fornos said in a rare interview with The Associated Press on the phone. 바카라I바카라ve always known what my place was. It was reserved, backstage.바카라
No matter who Pelé met behind closed doors, Pepito Fornos was almost always there, too, either for comfort or for urgent advice. He often blended in with journalists, and was not far from the boss.
Fornos believes the main foundation of his relationship with PelĂ© is their frankness. In the beginning of the 2000s, he was one of the few voices openly against his boss becoming Santos chairman. And he told it to PelĂ©바카라s face and in front of his mother Celeste.
바카라I tell him what he needs to hear, not what he likes to hear,바카라 Fornos said. 바카라We were at his mother바카라s when he gave the news. I told Dona Celeste her son was daydreaming. He should be above it all at that club, chairman was not for him. PelĂ© daydreams sometimes and I ground him, pull his leg.
바카라He then looked at me and said, 바카라You are my counterweight indeed바카라.바카라
Fornos said he will continue telling his former boss when he is not smartly dressed or complaining too much.
바카라If I can바카라t tell him these things I can바카라t be his friend. After that incident at his mom바카라s our friendship continued. We바카라ve had arguments, but we never stopped talking.바카라
Fornos said his best memory with PelĂ© was from 2014, when the tearful star received a Ballon d바카라Or from FIFA and France Football magazine. The award created in 1956 did not consider players based in South America for decades, and Pele played for only two clubs; Santos and the New York Cosmos.
Pelé said at the time his trophy collection was finally complete.
바카라PelĂ© was just shining that day,바카라 Fornos said. 바카라It is never too late to acknowledge who needs to be acknowledged.바카라
His worst memory came in 2020, when PelĂ©바카라s brother, JosĂ© Arantes do Nascimento, known as Zoca, died at age 77.
바카라I never saw PelĂ© so sad in my entire life. They were really close, we did many things together for a long time. PelĂ© is shaken to this day. It is very upsetting for me to see is PelĂ© still suffering with Zoca바카라s passing. He hasn바카라t really overcome it.바카라
Fornos said he never liked to act as a fan of the celebrities Pelé met, but he has a long list of people that treated him well. Among them are singer Boy George, Brazil striker Neymar, Roma coach José Mourinho, and former U.S. President Barack Obama.
The former assistant said no one he met with Pelé ever frustrated him in more then five decades.
바카라My family always stimulated me, saw this as an important job. They were happy to see I was never criticized in the press.바카라
Fornos is still scrolling through boxes and boxes of memorabilia, newspapers and magazines featuring the man he worked for for most of his life. The boxes are mostly in an apartment in Santos, which he left this month after he ended employment with Pelé.
바카라Our friendship is like a brotherhood,바카라 Fornos said. 바카라We were loyal to our origins of humble Catholic families, we never allowed ourselves to be seduced by the glamorous lives of the famous. We never took our feet off the ground, and each of us knew our place.
바카라When people told me I was getting famous I always denied it. PelĂ© is famous. I was just seen around.바카라
