Bad Bunny continues on his Debí Tirar Más Fotos World Tour that recently made its pitstop in Brazil, making it the first time the artist performed in the Latin American country.
During the second show of his two dates that took place Feb. 20 and Feb. 21 at the Allianz Parque in Sao Paulo, the Puerto Rican artist surprised fans by wearing a jacket previously worn by the late soccer legend Pelé during the 1966 World Cup in England.
“It’s a great celebration about Brazil, an understanding from Benito on how much Pelé, like I said, a Black Brazilian man, Latin American, is important to the formation of what we are as a society,” jersey collector Cássio Brandão told the Associated Press in a video. “Benito took very good care of the piece. It came back only with sweat … wet with sweat.”
Brandão, who has more than 7,000 historical soccer memorabilia and jerseys, 115 items belonging to Pelé, also noted that Bad Bunny “took very good care of the piece” and that “it was perfect, in the same condition. They were very careful. It returned in the same suitcase.”
Additionally, The AP reports that the artist changed the lyric in “Monaco” to honor Pelé, singing “es como meter un gol después de Pelé y Maradona,” (“it’s like scoring a goal after Pelé and Maradona”) instead of “Messi and Maradona.”
Pelé’s official Instagram account later thanked Bad Bunny for the sweet tributes at his show.
“Bad Bunny proved that football is all about music and joy,” reads the Feb. 22 post. “In his two concerts in Brazil, he paid tribute to our eternal King. And that says a lot. About respect. About legacy. About how football transcends borders, languages, and generations. Pelé was always a man of the world. And when a Latin artist of Bad Bunny’s stature honors the King on Brazilian soil, we understand that the crown continues to shine. Thank you for the tribute, Benito. Music connects people. So does football.”
That same night, the artist born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio paused his performance to acknowledge the death of salsa icon Willie Colón, who passed away at the age of 75 on Saturday (Feb. 21).
“Today, one of the legends who contributed to this beautiful and legendary genre passed away,” Benito is heard saying (in Spanish) in a fan-filmed video uploaded to Instagram. “So, on behalf of myself and Los Sobrinos, we wish Willie Colón peace. Much strength to his family. The inspiration of so many of these great musicians who left their mark on this earth will never die as long as there are talented young people like those here, keeping the music, salsa and all Caribbean rhythms alive.”
The Debí Tirar Más Fotos World Tour continues Feb. 28 and March 1 at the Engie Stadium in Sydney, followed by his concert in Tokyo on March 7. This is the first time Benito is performing in Australia and Japan.
