Football has been in mourning following the death of the Brazilian legend on 29 December at the age of 82.
A minute’s applause in honour of Pele has been held at matches throughout the Premier League, including before City’s game against Everton on Saturday.
City great Summerbee remembers watching Pele on television as a teenager when he burst onto the world scene in 1958 when Brazil won the World Cup.
He would win it again in 1962 and 1970 and the pair would become friends when they made the Hollywood movie Escape To Victory in Hungary in 1980.
“He was the greatest footballer ever,” Summerbee said.
“I was privileged to watch him play as a young boy, when he was 17 years of age, and then I was privileged to meet him. He was such a very genuine, very modest person.
“I always think that great players and great personalities are always very modest and he was a very modest person and a very nice man.
“In Budapest when we made Escape To Victory, all of us got very close together because we actually made this film a success.
“Even though it was a movie, not a football match, to play alongside Pele really was unbelievable.”
Watch Mike’s tribute in the video above…
