The open funeral ceremony in Brazil for soccer legend Pelé got underway on Monday and will continue for 24 hours in the stadium of his most famous club, Santos.
The club’s stadium, nicknamed ‘Pixie’, which is Portuguese for ‘fish’, and located by the ocean, saw a huge influx of fans flocked to honor the ‘king’ of football following his death at the age of 82 years, Thursday , after a long battle with cancer.
The body of the only three-time World Cup winner was displayed in the center of the stadium.
Carlos Mota, and his 12-year-old son Bernardo, traveled more than 500 kilometers from Rio de Janeiro to Santos, a port city in southeast São Paulo state, to pay homage to Pele.
“My whole childhood was influenced by what Pelé did for Brazil with his World Cup victories. He was a national symbol,” Mota, 59, told AFP.
His young son Bernardo commented, “I’ve never seen Pelé play, but I’ve seen the videos. He’s the greatest player ever.”
FIFA President Gianni Infantino and CONMEBOL President Alejandro Dominguez were among the first to pay their respects at the open funeral.
“We are here with great sadness, Pelé is eternal,” said Infantino. He is a global football icon.”
The FIFA president also called on all countries of the world to name a stadium after Brazilian football legend Pelé, and said in this regard: “We will ask every country in the world to name one of its football stadiums after Pelé”.
The black and white stadium that hosts the funeral of the “king” is known as Villa Belmero, from the name of the district in which it is located, and can accommodate 16,000 people.
Three giant banners were seen in the stands on Sunday, one of which showed a photo of Pelé wearing the famous number 10 shirt. On another he wrote ‘Long live the king’ and on the third ‘Pelé, 82’.
Officials said entry to the stadium would be allowed until 10am on Tuesday.
Afterwards, the procession will wind its way through the streets of Santos, a port city 75 kilometers (47 miles) from the state capital, São Paulo. The funeral procession will pass through the home of Pele’s mother, 100-year-old Celeste Arantes, although she is unaware of her son’s death.
Pele’s sister, Maria Lucia do Nascimento, told ESPN on Friday that her mother “doesn’t know. She’s not conscious.”
The procession will conclude in a cemetery in Santos, where Pelé will be buried in a private mausoleum.
salute to the “eternal” star.
Edson Arantes do Nascimento, who was later nicknamed Pele for stardom, has been described by many football fans as the best player in the history of the game.
His death attracted hundreds of thousands of people, with Brazil observing three days of national mourning.
Pelé scored 1,283 goals in his 21-year career, most of them for Santos.
The garlands left by his fans bring a splash of color to Villa Belmero, which houses two statues, one bust showing his face and the other full, of the football prodigy.
Silvio Nieves Souza, an electrician from São Paulo, came to visit the stadium on Sunday because he won’t be able to attend the state funeral.
“I’m sure many people will come to the stadium, not just the elderly who have seen him play, but also the youngsters,” said the 54-year-old.
Elsewhere in the city, banners featuring Pele’s face decorate another monument dedicated to him.
One of the banners read: “I loved the world with the ball at my feet.”
At the headquarters of the Brazilian Football Confederation in Rio de Janeiro, a giant poster with the image of Pelé bears the inscription “Eternal”.
At the inauguration ceremony of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Sunday, the ceremony began with a minute’s silence in memory of Pele.
Military police in the state of Sao Paulo, where digital screens placed in the streets greeted the historic player, said there would be a “strong” deployment of his elements to coincide with the occasion.
Security will be tightened at São Paulo’s Congonhas Airport ahead of the expected arrival of crowds of athletes, politicians, dignitaries and fans for the funeral.
Pele was admitted to Albert Einstein Hospital for a month, until his death on December 29.
