Football great Pele receives Olympic Order

New Delhi: Pelle, regarded as the greatest ever football player, was honoured with the Olympic order by IOC President Thomas Bach on Thursday at Santos, Brazil.

Pele, and for that matter of fact, Brazil have never won an Olympic gold medal in football. But the 75-year-old once jokingly said that it was because he never played in the Olympics.

In the 2012 London Games, Brazil were beaten by Mexico in the final. And in the 2008 Beijing Games, they finished third. They were also the losing finalists in 1984 and 1988.

IOC President Thomas Bach was visiting the Pele Museum in Santos, ahead of 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics in August.

The Olympic Order is the highest award of the Olympic Movement and is awarded for particularly distinguished contributions to the movement.