Charlie Aitken: 'My pal Pele was just one of the lads at the Cosmos'

AS the New York Cosmos throw themselves into a publicity drive that they hope will culminate in a Major League Soccer franchise, a Scot who played for them in their original guise can be forgiven for rolling back the years. After a club-record 656 appearances in 17 seasons with Aston Villa, Charlie Aitken chose to see out his career in the United States, where he was lucky enough to count Pele among his team-mates.

Born in Edinburgh, where he was educated at George Watson's College, Aitken played in three League Cup finals - the last of which earned him a winner's medal - before accepting an offer in 1976 to play alongside the Brazilian legend. For two glorious, if slightly surreal, seasons in the North American Soccer League, he soaked up some of the Hollywood culture that will doubtless underpin the Cosmos' long-awaited revival.

One of the most evocative brand names in the history of world football was relaunched only last year, since when it has been confirmed that the organisation, backed by Englishman Paul Kemsley, want to become the 20th franchise in the MLS. Pele is their honorary president, Eric Cantona their director of soccer and both have been on a tour of Asia this week, promoting the project.

If nothing else, they are lending it the same star quality for which it was renowned in Aitken's day. When the Scot arrived after a dispute with then Villa manager, Ron Saunders, he was given a two-acre place in the country, together with a couple of cars and a hunting lodge. Not that he was among the better-paid players. Franz Beckenbauer, Johan Cruyff and Carlos Alberto would later contribute to what was a glamorous, some would say, decadent mix of celebrity and sport.

It was a name-dropper's paradise. Aitken says that they used to train alongside the New York Jets at Flushing Meadow, where he got to know Joe Namath. One journalist described their road trips as "like travelling with the Rolling Stones". While drug-fuelled nights at Studio 54 have been exaggerated, there was a strong whiff of showbiz about the Cosmos, who were owned by Warner Communications.

"Let's just say that we were catered for very well," recalls Aitken. "There would be private VIP lounges, where we talked to film stars. People like Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall would come in because Atlantic Records was part of Warner. In fact, all the pop stars were allowed in our dressing room, where we had huge cubicles full of records and books and God knows what else."

Aitken insists the players remained professional, although boardroom politics often divided the squad. In particular, Giorgio Chinaglia, who had joined from Lazio, fostered a close relationship with Steve Ross, Warner's chief executive. "It was an absolute clique," says Aitken. "Giorgio was the main man and what he said went.Giorgio was running the whole of New York I think."

Unsurprisingly, Chinaglia didn't get along with Pele, for whom the franchise was virtually set up. Clive Toye, its English general manager, formerly a chief sportswriter with the Daily Express, had picked the green and yellow of Brazil for the Cosmos strip, which is available even now as a retro fashion item.

Aitken remembers a match at San Jose, when Pele arrived in a helicopter. On another day, they thought he had gone missing, only to discover that he was on the Warner Brothers' private jet to the Cannes Film Festival. "He had a bodyguard with him all the time," says Aitken. "They were frightened in case he got kidnapped."

But he justified it all with his performances on the pitch. "He was phenomenal," says Aitken. "So dedicated. I mean, he would take more free-kicks after one training session than the rest of us would all year. And it paid off. I remember him scoring a hat-trick of them against Gordon Banks when we played against Fort Lauderdale. He also scored the greatest goal I've ever seen, a scissor kick from outside the box, a bit like (Wayne] Rooney's, only ten times harder."

Aitken, who provided the assist for Pele's 1250th career goal, says that the game's greatest player was also a gentleman. "I spent loads of time with him. He was just one of the lads really. He even offered to come over and play for me in a one-off match at Villa Park. I had it all arranged, a testimonial for myself, but Saunders refused to allow it."

Pele's last game was a tear-stained affair at Giants Stadium on 1 October, 1977. Although the Cosmos won three titles after that, their subsequent decline was mirrored by that of the NASL. Declining crowds cost the league its TV deal and the inevitable collapse was confirmed in 1984. Now the Cosmos are hoping to join the MLS, which is expanding left, right and centre. Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps this season take the league to 18, with Montreal Impact due to join next year. If the Cosmos become the 20th, they aim to succeed where they failed all those years ago. The rap then was that it was too much too soon, that they had too many highly-paid, past-it players with no care for developing the game, but Aitken has no regrets. "It's a team people remember even now, and I'm just delighted I was able to spend the last two years of my career there," he says. "It was a wonderful experience."