28 July,2011 08:57 AM IST | | AFP
Football legend Pele on Tuesday accepted an invitation from Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff to act as an honorary ambassador for the 2014 World Cup, which will take place between June 12 and July 13.
The 70-year-old Brazilian said: "From the first World Cup that I played (in 1958) I've been doing this: I defend and promote Brazil. It's a very big responsibility and I could not turn down the invitation," said Pele.
Pele
Pele told his compatriots to show their pride in hosting the tournament by putting aside criticism over delays and the slow pace of preparations to stage the best World Cup possible.
Sports Minister Orlando Silva said that Pele had been a natural choice because of "all he had done for sport in Brazil." Pele won the World Cup three times --1958, 1962 and 1970u00a0-- and is the top scorer of all time with 1,281 goals throughout his career.
