The Heart of the King

An iconic image of Brazilian footballer Pelé during 1976, translated into a signed, limited edition giclee on paper.

This classic image of Pelé - capturing the exact moment when the sweat on his shirt shaped a heart on his chest - taken by Luiz Paulo Machado is one of the most famous and most globally publicised pictures of the star. For Pelé, ‘It’s a photo only God can explain’. For Machado, a photojournalist who currently works at the Federal Court in Rio de Janeiro, it is his masterwork: ‘It’s a photograph recognised the world over. It is without doubt my most important.’

This piece is part of the Art Life Football collection, a diverse body of work which celebrates and captures Pelé's life both on and off the pitch