Soccer legend Pelé collaborated with Rodrigo y Gabriela on a new song, “Acredita No Véio (Listen To The Old Man).” The single was released to coincide with the Brazilian football icon’s 80th birthday on October 23.
Producer Jorge Berlanga suggested Rod y Gab work with Pelé on a tribute to composer Armando Manzanero. The song was written by Pelé in 2005 while collaborating with Brazilian jazz performer and arranger Ruria Dupra. Pelé stated the following regarding working with Rod y Gab and writing “Acredita No Véio”:
I’ve written many books, I’ve scored many goals, I’ve fathered children, I’ve planted many trees. The only thing that’s lacking is a musical memento of my life.
I didn’t want the public to make the comparison between Pelé the composer and Pelé the footballer. That would have been a huge injustice – in football my talent was a gift from God, music was just for fun.
I wrote this one [“Acredita No Véio”] because when I used to play with Santos, 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.
Rodrigo y Gabriela issued a statement regarding the collaboration as well:
We are both big soccer fans. 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 honor for us to collaborate with Pelé on the occasion of his 80th birthday.
Stream “Acredita No Véio (Listen To The Old Man)” Pelé and Rodrigo y Gabriela below:
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