The statue was revealed at the American Sport Art Museum and Archives (ASAMA) in Daphne, Alabama, part of the USSA campus.

The bust of the 71-year-old Santos FC legend, widely acknowledged as the best footballer of all time, has been created by Harry Weber, a renowned American sculptor.

Weber was also commissioned to sculpt a bust of Pelé – otherwise known as Edson Arantes do Nascimento – on behalf of Gabon President Ali Bongo to be placed within his country's national stadium in Libreville ahead of this year's Africa Cup of Nations.


After a glorious career in which he won two Copa Libertadores titles with Santos and three World Cups for Brazil, Pelé transferred his talents to New York Cosmos in the then North American Soccer League, triggering sudden interest in the sport in the US.

ASAMA – dedicated to the preservation of sports history, art and literature – features sculptures of Ukrainian double Olympic gold medal-winning sprinter Valeriy Borzov, now a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and gymnast Nastia Liukin, who has claimed multiple Olympic medals.

Paul Hankins, President of the Alabama Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (AAICU), and Robert Campbell III, chairman of the USSA board of trustees, is set to lead the bust unveiling event.

Hankins has played a pivotal role in AAICU's growth in recent years and plays a key role in promoting youth sports.

On top of these involvements he recently organised a joint public-private venture to build a soccer complex in Montgomery, due to open later this year.

A member of the Central Alabama Sports Commission, Hankins has been honoured with the 2011 Distinguished Service Award to mark his leadership of the AAICU.

Campbell is a senior partner of law firm Campbell, Duke and Prince, and is reputedly one of the finest education lawyers in the US.

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