At Santos, mourners assemble to honor Pele

At the site of his former club Santos, thousands of mourners have gathered to pay their respects to Pele, a legend in Brazil.

At the Urbano Caldeira stadium in Sao Paulo, Pele’s coffin was positioned in the middle of the field while people lined the streets to enter the stadium.

On December 29, the three-time World Cup champion passed away at the age of 82.

On Tuesday, a procession will travel through the streets of Santos to a private family funeral.

Fifa president Gianni Infantino, who attended the ceremony, said, “We’re going to ask every nation in the globe to name one of their football stadiums with the name of Pele.”

Following Pele’s passing, the Brazilian government proclaimed three days of national mourning.

The greatest footballer in history, Pele, had been receiving treatment for colon cancer since 2021.

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On Monday morning, thousands of supporters gathered on the streets as the hearse approached the stadium; some had waited overnight to see the casket.

Edinho, the son of Pele, and former Brazil midfielder Ze Roberto assisted in carrying the casket as Neymar, Vinicius Junior, and Real Madrid brought flower tributes.

Beatrice had waited in line for more than two hours after waking up at six in the morning to travel with her husband from the city of Soracaba to Santos.

The 56-year-old told the BBC, “I’m resolved to pay my last respects to him.