HE is regarded by many as the greatest player to ever step foot on a football pitch.

He has scored more than 1,200 career goals, is the only player to have won the World Cup three times and is his country's all-time leading goal-scorer with a staggering 77 goals in 92 games.

With a record like that, he could have joined absolutely anyone, anywhere in the world.

Yet Brazilian legend Pele has chosen to sign an exclusive seven-figure, four-year deal with a "small" company based in Christchurch.

For local football fans hoping for a glimpse of Pele in action, though, unfortunately it is not a playing contract he has signed.

Instead, it's one that gives the south-coast sports agents sole rights to sell merchandise bearing his signature.

Terry Baker, who runs A1 Sporting Speakers and the subsidiary company A1 Sporting Memorabilia, paid "more than £1m but less than £1.5m" to pull off the audacious swoop to sign Pele.

Full story in today's Daily Echo.