Pelé kindly asks that you make Spalding your soccer ball of choice

Soccer has been the next big thing in the United States for the past forty years, a youth sport that many predict will explode as soon as the suburban kids playing it grow up and, fueled by the nostalgic memories of their playing days, make the game the rest of the world knows as football their preferred professional sport.

But you know, if Pelé couldn’t do it, no one could.

At least soccer balls still looked like soccer balls back when he was kicking it around with the New York Cosmos, black and white and not the solid whatevers that are booted around pitches these days. There’s that. So even if we don’t play his brand of ball, we can use his ball brand. Or something.