On Tuesday, in an ambience of great tenderness and admiration for the qualities of Pedro Pauleta a public tribute was made to the international footballer and best scorer ever in the national team. This tribute was organised by the sports’ publication “A Bola”, with the high sponsorship of the Regional Government. Carlos César, the President of the Regional Government, said that “in a land with 250,000 inhabitants where we have more than twenty thousand federated athletes, we have no memory of anyone who carried the name of the Azores and the pride of being Azorean so far, for so long and with such intensity and vibrancy.”  

The President said that he was certain that the name Pedro Pauleta is forever inscribed in the history of international sport. Carlos César underlined that notwithstanding the fact that the athlete was already honoured with the distinction Insígnia Autonómica de Reconhecimento (Autonomic Emblem of Recognition), the Regional Government was honoured to associate itself with the tribute organised by “A Bola”, which “justly projects the pride of being Azorean nationally.”

With regard to the national notoriety achieved by Pedro Pauleta, Carlos César reminded the public of a difficult national game when the public called for the entry of Pedro Pauleta and the national coach ignored their demands.

The President said: “They shouted for him. We shouted for him too. Yet, as it often happens, nobody heard us. Many years later they realised that they should have listened to us earlier.”

The President of the Regional Government of the Azores, at the invitation of the director of the sports newspaper “A Bola”, Mr. Vítor Serpa, handed to Pauleta the “Especial Silver Ball”, an honorific version of the trophy that is bestowed to the best scorer of the national football championship.

Pedro Pauleta comes from S. Roque, island of São Miguel, and is the best scorer of the national team, having scored 47 goals, five more than Eusébio, the previous best scorer.