But he still has some way to go to hit the magical thousand goals reached by Pele 50 years ago, also with a penalty.

In fact, Pele was not the first man, or even the first Brazilian, to score a thousand. That honour goes to Arthur Friedenreich, who legend has it scored 1329 in a career which blossomed in the aftermath of World War One. As would happen with Pele later, the figures would be disputed, but one Friedenreich goal will be remembered, for it was the winner in the 1919 Copa America final, the first time Brazil won their continental championship.

The next 1000-up was Franz Bimbo Binder of Rapid Vienna, who was acclaimed in the thirties heyday of Austrian football for scoring 1006 goals. Another central-European player, Josef Bican, was also said to have reached the landmark figure around the same time. Apart from Pele, only Gerd Müller of West Germany and Romario of Brazil have scored a thousand in the modern era, but it is Pele's feat which has entered legend.

He scored on his debut for Santos in 1956. His first cap for Brazil came the following year and was marked with another goal. He was still only 17 when chosen for the 1958 World Cup squad by manager Vicente Feola. At the tournament in Sweden he became an instant star. Two goals in the final against the host nation were just part of a breathtaking performance, as Brazil lifted the Jules Rimet Trophy for the first time. Pele's tears of joy at the final whistle were seen around the world.

Over the next decade, he became one of the most revered figures in the world game and some considered him the greatest there had ever been.

Then, in the closing weeks of 1969, journalists calculated that he was also closing in on a thousand goals.

"They said that for any player to score 1,000 goals would be to immortalise him and the country that had produced him and his football," Pele said later.

He scored four in a 6-2 win against Portuguesa, and two more in a match against Coritiba.

"The momentum felt that the thousandth goal was only a few matches away," he said.

Yet, as the milestone drew nearer, so the pressure grew and Pele found further goals elusive.

After a 0-0 draw, he scored against Flamengo. The achievement was now, as Pele put it, "within kicking distance".

Goal number 998 eventually came against Santa Cruz in Recife, and in the following match he scored again and now only needed one more for the fabled target.

The next match was in Bahia and special church services were held in anticipation of the landmark.

"It was like carnival," Pele said. Even so, he admitted that: "The thousandth goal was taunting me and preventing me from playing proper football."

The media contingent following him around Brazil had now grown to massive proportions.

"Everyone cheers for Pele's 1000th" was the headline in the Brazilian newspaper Correio da Manha.

At the match in Bahia, Pele hit the woodwork and had an attempt cleared off the line, but did not score. This prompted boos from the home fans against their own team for preventing the national hero from fulfilling his dream.

His chances of scoring the crucial goal in that match were effectively ended by a remarkable episode, when Santos keeper Aguinaldo was injured and Pele put on the keeper's jersey.

Three days later, Santos travelled to the fabled Maracana in Rio to meet Vasco da Gama. The stadium was packed to see history made, yet once again it seemed as though Pele might be thwarted. He had an effort tipped over and even hit the bar in the first half.

As the match entered its closing stages, Pele ran on to a through ball from fellow Brazilian international Clodoaldo.

A tackle by Fernando brought Pele crashing to the ground and referee Marco Amaro de Lima pointed straight to the spot. 

Almost the entire Vasco team surrounded the referee before calm was restored fully two-and-a-half minutes later.

"The noise was deafening. Even the Vasco supporters were against me," recalled their Argentinian goalkeeper Edgardo Norberto Andrada.

Up stepped the man in the number 10 shirt to gently side-foot the ball home.

"This goal was like a movie thriller," said the newspapers. "Andrada contributed to the ever-growing suspense as the crowd became ever more anxious."

As the ball hit the back of the net, Pele rushed to retrieve it but he was not alone. Under the crossbar, he was surrounded by reporters brandishing microphones.

"Now that everyone is listening, help the children, help the helpless. That's my only wish at this very special time for me," he said. "I dedicated my goal to the Criancinhas, the children of Brazil. I immediately thought of the children. I think it is important for people like me to put across messages about education."

Pele had himself grown up in humble surroundings at Tres Coracoes.

Overseas reports said: "Hundreds swarmed onto the pitch of the giant Maracana stadium when 'The King' climaxed an extraordinary 12-year career with a low penalty. Pele was carried shoulder high, crying with emotion."

Joao Saldanha, the Brazilian national team coach at the time, was commentating for television and had insisted "Pele will not score". When he was proved wrong, "he applauded without hiding his emotion".

Such was the pandemonium, there was a long delay before play resumed. Pele was given a Vasco da Gama shirt bearing the number 1000 and trotted around in a lap of honour, all the while interviewed by radio reporters.

"Now that I have scored the 1,000 goals, I am more determined than ever to put on a performance in Mexico at the [1970] World Cup," he said.

In the meantime, his Santos team mates waited patiently in the centre circle and it took 10 minutes for the match to resume, by which time Pele had been substituted.

England captain Bobby Moore soon offered his congratulations. "No matter what the standard of football, 1,000 goals is a fantastic achievement. I only hope he doesn't go near the 2,000 at our expense in Mexico."

In fact, Pele did not score against England at the 1970 World Cup, but he did set up the only goal of the match for Jairzinho, as Brazil won 1-0. In the final against Italy, Pele's goal was the 100th scored by Brazil in World Cup tournament football.

A plaque commemorating his 1,000 goals was unveiled at the Maracana by official Dr Abelard Franca.

The feat even made it into the pages of the New York Times, which reported: "Pele, Brazil's soccer ace, scored the 1,000th goal of his professional career. It was the high point of his 13 years as one of the world's top professional booters."

In the years since, further matches have been uncovered in the archives by statisticians and doubts have been cast about certain games. But the 1,000-goal mark was undoubtedly celebrated across the globe in 1969 and his feat enjoyed similar coverage to the Apollo 12 moon landing.

The front page of the Brazilian newspaper O Globo carried a picture of the Lunar module with the headline "A Luna" above the headline "0 Gol" showing Pele's strike in the Maracana.

That was appropriate, for throughout his career there were quite often moments when Pele seemed to come from another planet.