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Pele will be a guest at Anfield on Sunday to watch the vital top four battle with Manchester United.

The Brazilian great will no doubt be hoping for a fine showing from his countryman Philippe Coutinho who has scored some vital goals for the Reds on their impressive run in 2015.

The legendary star, now 74, appeared in a commercial with Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge ahead of last summer’s World Cup in Brazil and he will arrive at Anfield on behalf of Subway Restaurants, Liverpool’s official training food partner.

Pele may have mixed feeling if he looks across the park during his trip to Anfield after the infamous treatment he received from Bulgarian and Portuguese defenders during his two appearances at Goodison Park during the 1966 World Cup.

Brazil at Goodison in 1966 - superb historic pictures

Pele scored a free-kick in the 2-0 opening win against Bulgaria, prompting Liverpool Daily Post reporter Horace Yates to hail the “sheer magical genius of Pele”, adding: “What a player he is. Now Merseyside followers know that the Pele legend is no mere story but more a tribute in words to probably the finest and most skillfully endowed player in the game anywhere in the world.”

However his rough treatment from Bulgarian defenders led to the great man being rested for game two against a brilliant Hungarian side which defeated the Brazilians who had won the previous two tournaments in 1958 and 1962.

Pele returned for the decisive third game against Eusebio’s Portugal but ended up injured after a challenge from Morais in the 30th minute.

With no substitutes allowed, he continued but Eusebio’s double saw the Brazilians lose 3-1. A capacity 62,000 crowd had crammed in to Goodison to see him and another 10,000 were locked out.

“Brazilians wept in the streets of Liverpool after their team, World Cup holders for the last eight years, crashed 3-1 to Portugal,” wrote Ian Hargreaves in the Liverpool Daily Post.

Since his retirement Pele has become a UNESCO ambassador and regularly represented his country on the world stage leading up to the 2014 World Cup and next year’s Rio Olympics.