News Football icon Pelé was awarded the Olympic movement's highest honour by International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach in Santos on Thursday (16 June) In a ceremony in the Brazilian port city where Pelé first burst onto the footballing scene, Bach personally presented the 'King of Football' with the insignia of the Olympic Order In 1999, the IOC named Pelé its 'Athlete of the Century' The three-time World Cup winner has repeatedly been voted as the best football player of the 20th century Pelé never played in the Olympic Games "I became a player very early, at a time when professional athletes weren't able to play in the Games," Pelé said on Thursday "I like to joke that the only reason Brazil has never won a gold medal at football is because I didn't play " 'It had to be Santos' Pelé first won the World Cup as a 17-year-old in Sweden in 1958 and scored over 1,000 goals in his career He is still the all-time leading goalscorer for Brazil and the leading scorer for Santos   "I was in England recently and we thought about holding the ceremony there or in the USA, but it had to be Santos," Pelé said During the ceremony at the Pelé Museum, Bach said that Pelé was an important figure for the Olympic movement even though he never participated as a competitor in the Games Pelé has been immortalised at the museum in Santos (Photo: Rio 2016/Alex Ferro) "In everything he does, both on and off the field, he exemplifies the Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect," Bach said   "From so many people – including myself – there is a huge personal affection for a truly great sportsman " Watch the award ceremony: