NFL

Pele almost ended up in the NFL

SAO PAULO — Pele says the New York Giants invited him to be a kicker after retiring from soccer with the Cosmos.

The Brazilian great says he was asked to join the NFL team after he “did well” in a few tryouts. But he decided not to accept the invitation because he didn’t want to take on more responsibilities at the time.

The 73-year-old Pele said in an interview with ESPN Brasil in New York that kicking was “wasn’t too hard for him,” but he didn’t want to return to sports after a long soccer career. He did not say exactly when he received the invitation.

Pele led Brazil to three World Cup titles and scored more than 1,000 goals. He retired from the Cosmos in 1977.