Sheffield TV Star Dan Walker recounts remarkable Pelé story in Would I Lie To You? - but was he telling the truth?

The Sheffield TV star described how he left the Brazilian football legend dumbfounded by asking him NOT to sign a sports bag when he interviewed the World Cup great.

But was the presenter telling the truth or a porky pie when he appeared on the BBC One panel show in which guests try to hoodwink their rivals last night, Monday, February 8?

Sheffield couple Owen and Michelle who tied the knot as strangers on TV's Married At First Sight give romantic update before Valentine's – and reveal big move

Mr Walker, who joined David Mitchell’s team on the popular comedy programme, presented a green New York Cosmos sports bag and told his story to the opposing team led by Lee Mack.

“This is my sports bag and halfway through signing it I told Pelé to put his pen down because I thought it would ruin it,” he said.

He described how he had been given the bag around a decade ago when he went to interview Pelé, who played for New York Cosmos in the twilight of his career during the late 70s.

'I love you will u marry me' graffiti no more as iconic Sheffield building's famous proposal disappears

“The reason I didn’t want him to sign it is because I wanted to use it in the gym and now that’s my gym bag with PE written on it, you see?” he said.

“I’d taken a Brazil shirt with me. I gave it to the great man and he signed the shirt – full signature on the shirt. I think it was like ‘all the best, Dan. Pelé’.

“I took the shirt. I turned and put it on my normal bag that I brought with me. Then when I turned back the great man had my bag. He’d picked it up and without thinking I said ‘not the bag, Pelé’.

Tributes paid to Sheffield Teaching Hospitals staff member who died from Covid-19 aged 60

"He sort of stared at me angrily and then said ‘no one’s ever asked me not to sign anything before’.”

Mr Walker explained that he didn’t want it signed because ‘I really liked the bag’.

Lee Mack’s team, featuring comedian Sara Pascoe and Mr Motivator, couldn’t believe anyone would turn down the sporting legend’s signature, so they guessed his story was a lie.

But it turned out Mr Walker really had been the first person to reject Pelé’s signature.