Amid all the excitement, where's Pele?

HE is "the king", renowned as football's greatest ever and the icon of Brazilian World Cup success. But with the tournament finally back in his home country, it seems somebody forgot to invite Pele.

At the opening ceremony in Sao Paulo, attended by President Dilma Rousseff and a clutch of visiting heads of state, Pele was a notable absentee despite living not far away in Santos.

For Brazil's second game in Fortaleza, the three-time World Cup winner was not only not at the game -- he was in his car, stuck in Brazil's notorious traffic near Sao Paulo.

"It was the second time I heard a Brazil World Cup match on the radio ... in 1950 and today," he told Globo television later, referring to when Brazil first hosted the World Cup.

Brazil are not short of successful ex-players. But Pele, 73, was named an honorary ambassador in the build-up to the World Cup and has an unmatchable following abroad.

Last week, a museum celebrating his life was unveiled in port city Santos, where Pele played his club football.

However, at the World Cup his appearances have mainly been restricted to TV advertisements. Rather than Pele, Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen is tipped as most likely to hand over the trophy at the July 13 final in Rio de Janeiro.

It is a surprising demotion for a man named "athlete of the century" by France's L'Equipe sports magazine and who is feted the world over. For some fans, it seems a little odd.

"I think it's strange," Rodrigo Andrade, 27, a pastor from Sao Paulo, said. He was visiting the newly opened Pele museum in the cobbled historic quarter of Santos.

"I think all the people who came from outside of Brazil for the World Cup want to see Pele."

Pele was not available for comment, and his publicity team did not offer any explanations.

Guilherme Guarche, historian at Santos FC's Memorial das Conquistas, the club museum, suggested that Pele had fallen out with Fifa.

But journalist and historian Marcos Guterman said Pele's image has steadily diminished in Brazil, which is in the midst of great social upheaval.

"Pele is a symbol of a great era for Brazilian soccer but he's part of the past." – AFP