crowds accompanied the coffin in a caravan prior to the burial

First modification: 01/03/2023 – 18:25

Farewell to what is considered by many the best player of all time.

The streets of Santos, the city that gives its name to the soccer team where ‘O Rei’ played most of his sporting career, turned into a river of crowds to give the athlete the final farewell, who died at the age of 82 last year. December 29, after suffering from colon cancer.

The coffin of Edson Arantes do Nascimento, known worldwide as Pelé, wrapped in the flags of Brazil and Santos, advanced in a caravan through the coastal city, surrounded by thousands of fans.

The tour included the neighborhood and the surroundings of the house where the mother of the late athlete lived, Celeste Arantes, who recently turned 100 years old.

From the balcony of the residence, located on Channel 6 in Santos, some of the football star’s relatives, including his sister Maria Lúcia Nascimento, visibly moved, greeted the thousands of fans who accompanied their idol, in unison of songs from the passionate fans of Santista.

The explosion of applause and cheers, with shouts of “Pelé” and “1,000 goals”, in reference to the striker’s goals with the local team, also led the way, while the fire truck that was carrying the coffin made its way through the crowd.

After several hours of courtship, the caravan ended at the Ecumenical Memorial Necropolis, the highest vertical cemetery in the world and which the athlete himself chose 19 years ago as his burial site. And his choice is not surprising, since from the place you can see the view of the Vila Belmiro stadium, where the 10 dazzled with his brilliant plays and made history.

‘Lula’ Da Silva paid tribute to Pelé at the Vila Belmiro

The caravan that preceded the private burial ceremony continued after the wake at Vila Belmiro, whose lawn housed the funeral chapel for 24 hours.

There, around 150,000 people stood in long lines to pay tribute to the Brazilian soccer legend and the only one on the planet to win three World Cups: Sweden 1958, Chile 1962 and Mexico 1970.

The recently inaugurated President Luiz Inácio’Lula’ arrived at the place. The 77-year-old president, and a great soccer fan, attended the sports star’s funeral two days after assuming the head of state for the third time and stayed for about half an hour for religious acts.

“Few Brazilians took the name of our country as far as he did,” declared the head of state after learning of Pele’s death.

The playing field where the wake was held is emblematic, after ‘O Rei’ scored more than 1,000 goals there when he played for the city team between 1956 and 1974.

“Long live the king” could be read in some of the messages for the deceased athlete.

“If I had all the wealth in the world, I still couldn’t pay for what this man did for me and my family. He was a great man and player, the best of all time (…) His legacy will last longer than all of us, and this can be appreciated in this long line here, with people of all ages”, highlighted Manoel María during the tributes. , considered one of the best friends of the late footballer and who played in the same sports club.

FIFA would ask to baptize stadiums with the name Pelé; criticize the absence of Brazilian soccer stars at the funeral

Although in Brazil it is indisputable that Pelé was ‘the king of soccer’, the local press also highlights that only a few active and retired players came to say goodbye to him.

Zé Roberto, a member of the 1998 and 2006 Brazil teams and a former Santos player, was one of those who went to the funeral chapel and carried the coffin to the center of the stadium.

Also the president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, was one of the first to attend the ceremony, which began on Monday, January 2.

“I am here very emotional, sad but also smiling because he gave us many smiles (…) We ask that everyone observe a minute of silence,” said the leader of the International Football Federation during the funeral service.

As announced by Infantino, FIFA would ask football associations around the world to designate a stadium with the name of Pele.

With Reuters, AP and local media