In the heart of an eastern Ukrainian city shaken by echoes of guns stands the world’s first shrine to soccer legend Pele that miraculously survived nearly two years of war.
The creator of the unlikely Lugansk museum — painted in Brazilian gold and green and adorned by a bronze statue of Pele and a giant soccer ball at its front door — is a humble 55-year-old balding man who follows his hero’s example by never lighting up a cigarette or drinking alcohol.
“Family, football and Pele. That is my life,” museum founder Nikolai Khudobin said, sitting surrounded by dozens of tributes to the soccer great.
“I have never even tasted beer, because Pele leads a healthy lifestyle, and that is what inspired me,” Khudobin said.
Soccer’s governing body FIFA recognized Khudobin’s creation as the world’s first museum dedicated to the man widely regarded as the 20th century’s greatest player.
It opened during Ukraine’s cohosting of the European Championship in 2012, but has been closed over the past two years owing to conflict between Ukraine and pro-Russian separatists.
The Brazilian city of Santos, where Pele began his career aged 15, built its own exhibition to its local hero two years later.
“When my museum opened, the Brazilian ambassador hugged me and started crying,” Khudobin said. “He could not believe that, in distant Lugansk, Pele could be so well-loved.”
Even more remarkable is that the museum has managed to withstand the brunt of one of Europe’s most brutal conflicts since the 1990s Balkans wars and has left nearly 9,200 people dead.
Lugansk is the center of one of two industrial regions whose main swathes the rebels took over and defended with tanks and powerful multiple-missile launchers.
“The museum has not been open since the war began. Shells kept exploding and flying all over the place. I was really scared that something might smash the museum, but I believe that Pele is the god of football and that this place is holy — it is a sanctuary of football,” Khudobin said.
The small building was never once hit.
Pele, 75, might be best known to younger fans as a global soccer ambassador with a heart-warming smile. However, to older generations Pele embodies the world’s most popular game — a dazzling entertainer who changed the way soccer is played while leading his national squad to three breathtaking World Cups between 1958 and 1970.
Pele’s 1,281 goals in 1,363 matches saw Guinness World Records recognize him as soccer’s most prolific scorer.
Then-Brazilian president Janio Quadros proclaimed him a “national treasure” in 1961.
Unique mementoes to all those achievements line the walls and litter the tables of Khudobin’s two-room museum.
There is an autographed 1958 photograph of Pele that went up to Russia’s former space station Mir in the 1980s.
One table displays a golden watch Pele gave former Soviet Union defender Valentin Afonin.
Dozens of stamps and flags are accompanied by a signed banner of Pele and Soviet goalkeeper Lev Yashin — winner of the 1963 Ballon d’Or prize awarded to Europe’s best player.
“I swapped my bicycle for a photo of Pele in a magazine,” Khudobin said. “That was 40 years ago, and I have been collecting ever since.”
Khudobin said he not only had the honor of meeting Pele on three occasions, but also to get a haircut by his idol’s personal barber in Brazil.
However, his big dream of hosting Pele in Lugansk was shattered by the sudden outbreak of the lingering war.
A far greater tragedy struck Khudobin when his wife died of natural causes in the middle of the sudden turmoil.
“We went through school together and she always supported my hobby. I still have not recovered from the grief,” Khudobin said.
Another shock came when Khudobin was detained for three days by the city’s new pro-Russian leadership.
“I am not a poor man and they wanted to steal my property. They were demanding that I hand over the papers to my apartment,” he said.
Khudobin recalled that at one point his captors put a gun to his head and threatened to shoot him.
“But then they found out who I was and got frightened by all the publicity my death would bring. Pele saved my life,” Khudobin said.
Santiago Castro on Tuesday had an immediate impact off the bench as he scored the goal to send Bologna into the Coppa Italia semi-finals for the first time in 26 years. Bologna won 1-0 against last year’s runners-up, Atalanta BC, and are to play either holders Juventus or Empoli in the final four. Juventus are to host Empoli in their quarter-final on Feb. 26. The last time Bologna reached the semi-finals was in 1999, when they lost 4-2 to ACF Fiorentina. There were chances for both sides in a high-tempo match in Bergamo, but it was Bologna who broke the deadlock 10 minutes from
After nearly six years away from the NBA, New Taipei Kings player Jeremy Lin (林書豪) is set to participate in the 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend’s Rising Stars mini-tournament as the coach of Team G League. The NBA announced Monday (U.S. time) that the Taiwanese-American player will join a trio of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers – Tim Hardaway Sr., Chris Mullin, and Mitch Richmond – as honorary coaches for four teams featuring 28 rising talents. "See you soon in the Bay," Lin wrote in an Instagram story sharing the news. As the All-Star Weekend will take place at
The former interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani on Thursday was sentenced to nearly five years in prison for bank and tax fraud after he stole nearly US$17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers player’s bank account. Ippei Mizuhara, who was supposed to bridge the gap between the Japanese athlete and his English-speaking teammates and fans, was sentenced in federal court in Santa Ana to four years and nine months after pleading guilty last year. He was ordered to pay US$18 million in restitution, with nearly US$17 million going to Ohtani and the remainder to the US Internal Revenue Service. He was
The 40-year-old LeBron James on Thursday became the oldest player to score 40 points in an NBA game, putting up a season-high 42 in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 120-112 victory over the Golden State Warriors. James passed the record held by Michael Jordan, his idol and the only other NBA player to score 40 after his 40th birthday. “I’m old, that’s my take,” James said when asked about his latest achievement. “I need a glass of wine and some sleep, that’s what I think.” Jordan did it for the Washington Wizards just three days after turning 40 in February 2003. James is 38