Match · 2 October 1974 · Campeonato Paulista
Santos 2–0 Ponte Preta
Pelé's last official match for Santos, at Vila Belmiro, where he knelt on the pitch to say goodbye to the crowd.
After 18 seasons, Pelé played his last official match for Santos against Ponte Preta at Vila Belmiro on 2 October 1974, in the Campeonato Paulista.
About 20 minutes into the first half he stopped, knelt on the pitch with his arms open to salute the crowd of about 20,000, and left the field.
Santos won 2–0. He would still play occasional friendlies for the club, but this was the end of his career in Brazilian club football.
He had scored 643 goals for Santos in official competitions, then the most by any player for a single club. Lionel Messi passed that record for Barcelona in December 2020. Within a year Pelé was playing again, in New York.
He was 33.