ALPHA IMAGE. A FINE COPY OF THE SOUGHT AFTER FIRST COLLECTOR'S PICTURE OF THE BRAZILIAN FOOTBALLER PELÉ WHEN HE WAS 17 YEARS OLD AT THE FOOTBALL WORLD CUP IN SWEDEN 1958.

Alpha image. Pelé. Brazilian former footballer, (1940.- 2022). A coloured Alpha image of Pelé from the World Championships in Stockholm 1958. Pelé was only 17 years old when the World Cup was played and this picture is most likely the first collector's picture of him ever. On the back a short printed text about him. The image measures approx. 48 mm x 33 mm.
Pelé, actually Edson Arantes do Nascimento (born October 23, 1940 in Três Corações, Minas Gerais), is a Brazilian former footballer. He played on the Brazil national football team in 1957—71 and contributed heavily to the team winning World Cup gold in 1958 and 1970.
Sold together with four more (4) Alpha images of Brazilian footballers from the 1958 FIFA World Cup team in Sweden. Zito, Vava,. Garrincha and Didi.
Alfa images were collectible pictures included in the tablet boxes Alfa Bobbykola and Alfa lozenges in Sweden. The tablets consisted of hard sweet lumps and many people bought the tablets purely for the sake of the pictures. Around 1,700 photos featuring athletes were issued in the years 1949-1961, originally in black and white, but from 1955 in color. Initially football players were portrayed, but from 1956 also ice hockey players. Source Wikipedia.