TThousands of fans paid their last respects to the late Brazilian soccer idol Pelé in Santos on Monday. The coffin of the star striker, who died on December 29 at the age of 82, was laid out in the stadium of his long-time club FC Santos on Monday. For 24 hours, the fans should have the opportunity to personally say goodbye to the “king” of football.
Thousands of fans and dignitaries slowly made their way through the stadium, including FIFA President Gianni Infantino. He announced that Fifa would ask all countries in the world to name a stadium after the star striker.
“Pele is immortal. He’s a global football icon,” said the FIFA President. The presidents of the Brazilian and South American football federations also attended the wake on Monday.
The queue in front of the stadium stretched over two kilometers in the early afternoon. Most fans wore the black and white club colors of FC Santos, which Pelé had made world famous.
Big crowds in front of the Vila Belmiro stadium in Santos
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Image: AP
16-year-old Christian Abreu was already queuing in front of the stadium early in the morning. “I never got to see him play, but he’s the legend of a thousand goals. He’s a myth, he’s huge for me,” said Abreu.
Inside the stadium, fans were greeted by large banners celebrating Pele as “King” and Pele’s song “My Legacy” played over the loudspeakers. “Thanks to you I am Pele,” the star striker sings in the song. “My legacy is for you.”
Carlos Mota and his twelve-year-old son Bernardo traveled from Rio de Janeiro, more than 500 kilometers away. “My entire childhood was influenced by what Pelé did for Brazil, by his World Cup wins. He was a national idol,” Mota, 59, told AFP. “I’ve always told my son that there are three indisputable facts: the ball is round, the grass is green and Pele is the greatest of all time.”
Fans hold up pictures of the late Pele.
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Image: AP
75-year-old pensioner Vera Lucia traveled from São Paulo to stand in line for Pelé’s coffin. “I’m just devastated,” she said. “We loved watching his games as a family.”
Pallbearers dressed in black had carried Pelé’s coffin into the stadium, led by his son Edinho. Pelé’s widow, his third wife Marcia Cibele Aoki, wept in front of his open coffin. He was surrounded by white floral arrangements.
According to media reports, security measures have been stepped up at São Paulo airport in the face of expected footballers, politicians and celebrities who wanted to take part in the public wake in Santos.
After the wake, the coffin is to be driven through the streets of the Brazilian port city in a funeral procession on Tuesday. Pelé’s funeral will then take place in the family circle.
Pelé, whose real name was Edson Arantes do Nascimento, is considered one of the greatest footballers of all time. He is the only footballer to have won the World Cup three times – in 1958, 1962 and 1970. In football-mad Brazil he was revered as “O Rei”, the king. Overall, the striker scored an incredible 1,281 goals in 1,365 games as a professional in his 21-year career.
