WHEN Mike Smith spotted soccer legend Pele sitting on his own at the top table of a Football League dinner, he seized his chance.

"It was between courses and people had gone off to get drinks and to the toilet. When I saw Pele just sitting there, I knew I had to go for it," recalls Mike. "I think it was 1987 because it was my son's 18th birthday and I'd taken a blank birthday card to the dinner to collect autographs for him. I asked Pele to sign it and told him we were on a Bradford City table.

"He stopped and looked at me and said, 'Bradford City?' and he asked about the fire."

Mike had been at the Bradford City fire in 1985 with members of his family. "I told Pele that my son, Philip, whose 18th birthday it was, had been invited by Trevor Cherry to sit on the bench. My wife and I were in the stand," he said.

"Pele wanted to know what happened after the fire, and where City played.

"I spent about four or five minutes with him. He was a lovely man, and he signed my card. When I went back to my seat there was suddenly a 30-yard queue of people wanting get his autograph. Luckily I'd seen him on his own, briefly, and I went for it. He was just a really nice guy."

Mike, an Associate Director of Bradford City, was invited to the Football League centenary dinner in London by then City chairman Stafford Heginbotham. "Stafford invited members of the board along. He told us: 'You do all this work for City - come to the dinner as my guests'. It was a big do, all the England players were there. Every football club had a table. The table next to us was Watford and Elton John was sitting there. Pele was the guest of honour."

Football legend Pele - the game's first world superstar - was laid to rest on Tuesday after thousands turned out to pay their final respects.

Brazil’s three-times World Cup winner, who died on December 29 at the age of 82, was interred on the ninth floor of the vertical Memorial Necropole Ecumenica, reportedly at his own request so he could look over the nearby Urbano Caldeira stadium, home of former club Santos.

Edson Arantes do Nascimento, known throughout his career as Pele, had lain in state for 24 hours in an open coffin draped with both Brazil and Santos flags on the pitch at the stadium in the city’s Vila Belmiro neighbourhood.

Said Mike: "I knew he'd been in hospital so it wasn't a surprise to hear of his death, but it's a very sad loss.

"There wasn't another player like Pele and there will never be another like him.

"Some football stars lose their way when their careers end but Pele never stepped out of line. He was a great ambassador for the game, and he came a statesman.

"My son, Philip, framed that birthday card with Pele's autograph on it. I went round at the dinner asking people to sign it - there's Stanley Matthews' autograph on it too. Philip still has it, the signatures are faded now but he treasures it.

"And I will always treasure the five minutes I spent chatting to Pele."