Brazil paid a final tribute this Monday to King Pele, a legend of world soccer. The coffin was exposed in the center of the FC Santos stadium, which saw all the achievements of Edson Arantes Do Nascimiento.
The funeral vigil began at about 10 am (local time) at the Vila Belmiro stadium. It lasted 24 hours. Officials from FIFA, world soccer and Brazilian politics, players, former players and fans were present to greet the remains of the “Brazilian national treasure. Cries of “Pelé, Pelé, Pelé” rang out in the stadium to a round of applause.
Wreaths of flowers adorned the coffin, under a white tent. Banners were erected in the stands with the inscriptions “Long live the king” and “Pele 82 years”.
The FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, wanted to seize this special moment to salute the memory of one who embodied soccer.
For the fans, there is no doubt that Pele is the greatest of all.
The ceremony continues this Tuesday. The coffin will walk through the streets of Santos, before the burial, which will be reserved only for the family of the deceased. It should be noted that Pele’s mother, who is 100 years old and in a senile state, is still unaware of her son’s death.
Outside the stadium, everything was dedicated to the soccer icon. A bust and a statue of Pele were decorated with bouquets of flowers.
All Brazil paid tribute to the man who is considered the best footballer of all time. In Rio de Janeiro, the Brazilian Football Confederation reserved one of its walls to the illustrious personality of the sports world, underlining that the former number 10 of the Brazilian soccer team is eternal.
During the inauguration of President Lula, a minute of silence was observed in honor of Pelé in Brasilia.
The wake of Pele’s death caused a real upheaval in the ground transportation in Brazil, especially in Santos where several streets were blocked.
Edson Arantes do Nascimento, known as Pele, died on December 29, after a month of hospitalization at the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo. He suffered from kidney and heart failure, bronchopneumonia and adenocarcinoma of the colon, according to the death certificate made public by Brazilian media.
The only player to have won 3 World Cups, Pele, author of 1281 goals and more than 1300 matches, is considered by many as the absolute “GOAT” of world soccer.