As thousands mourn the death of football icon, Pelé - who was laid to rest today in his hometown of Santos - Jamie Warren of Jamberoo Pub is reminiscing on the special moment he shared with his idol in 1979, thanks to his uncle, Johnny Warren.

Nine year old Jamie watched on amazed as the legendary Brazilian soccer player taught him and other children various skills including the banana kick - where you curl the ball with the outside of your foot - and how to dribble, pass and shoot at the Pelé Soccer Camps in New Jersey.

 “You could hear a pin drop watching Pelé display all of these skills,” Jamie says.

“At the end of the session, I was standing in a group of people when I turned around and saw Pelé walking towards me. I just looked up in awe.

“I put my hand out to shake his hand and he’s lent forward and put his hands on my cheeks, giving me a warm embrace, and said, ‘are you going to be a good soccer player like me one day?’”

Unknown at the time, a photographer captured the wonderful moment between the two.

“It’s a beautiful photograph. It’s real life, it’s emotion, and it tells the story of a young boy meeting his idol,” Jamie says.

Jamie with Pelé (middle) and Johnny Warren (right) with Ben Divani and Iain Vaughan at the Pelé Soccer Camps.

He was fortunate enough to attend the Pelé Soccer Camps thanks to his late uncle, Johnny Warren, who left an incredible legacy to the sport in Australia as a soccer player, coach, administrator, writer and broadcaster.

“As part of Uncle John’s role with the SBS, he interviewed Pelé in Sydney and took the photograph to the interview. So, in 2001 Pelé signed the photograph for Uncle John and signed ‘To Jamie, good luck, Pelé’.

“Uncle John brought it home and said, ‘you’ve got to get it framed and stick it in a prominent position at the Pub’, and that’s what we did. It hangs right above the bar, and it has been there ever since,” Jamie says.

He remembers Pelé - who won 3 FIFA World Cups for Brazil and scored 1,300 professional goals in his career - as both a wonderful footballer and a wonderful person.

“Our condolences go to the Australian Brazilian community and to the Brazilian community worldwide. It’s such a massive loss but we’re so lucky to have witnessed his journey.”