(Santos) The body of Pelé arrived Tuesday in his final resting place, a huge vertical cemetery in Santos, with a view of the stadium where more than 230,000 fans from all over Brazil flocked to pray in front of his coffin.
The Brazilian people’s last tribute to the “King” of football ended with a moving four-hour procession through the streets of this seaside town with the largest port in South America, 75 km from Sao Paulo.
The ecumenical necropolis where the funeral takes place in the intimacy of the family is the highest vertical cemetery in the world, according to the Guinness Book of Records.
Pelé’s body will rest in a mausoleum specially designed for him on the first of the 14 floors of this imposing building. This mausoleum of 200 m2 reminiscent of a football stadium, with its synthetic turf and photos of the “King”, confirmed Tuesday a communication manager of the cemetery.
The coffin, which had been left open and covered with a veil of tulle, leaving only the face of the deceased visible, was closed at 10 a.m. (8 a.m. Eastern Time), after being exposed for 24 hours at the center from the grounds of Santos FC’s Vila Belmiro stadium, where the three-time world champion shone from 1956 to 1974.
Huge guard of honor
Removed from the stadium in a cart, the black coffin was hoisted on top of a fire truck, then covered with two flags: that of Brazil and that of Santos FC.
Throughout the funeral procession, which traversed the streets of the city, passing in particular by the seaside, thousands of supporters formed a huge hedge of honor.
PHOTO RICARDO MORAES, REUTERS
Fans of Pelé flock to the streets to see the footballer’s coffin pass by.
Some sang: “A thousand goals, only Pelé has done it!” “. The legendary Brazilian scored 1091 of his 1283 goals in the white and black jersey of the mythical club Santos.
The most poignant moment of the procession was passing in front of the house of Pelé’s mother, Celeste Arantes. A hundred years old, but suffering from cognitive disorders, she is unaware of the death of her son.
The truck stopped for a few minutes in front of this residence with a beige facade where a large green flag bearing the image of Pelé had been hung.
His sister Maria Lucia, 78, appeared on the balcony, along with other family members. Visibly moved, she greeted the supporters massed in front of the house for a long time.
“He was the greatest player in the world, so it’s worth being here,” said Maria Benedita, a 77-year-old retiree, very moved as the fire truck passed.
President Lula facing the “King”
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva came specially to Santos from Brasilia to pay his respects to the remains of Pelé at the end of the funeral wake.
Arrived near the stadium by helicopter, Lula, who took office on Sunday, immediately offered his condolences to Pelé’s widow.
PHOTO NELSON ALMEIDA, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Pelé’s wife, Marcia Aoki
The Head of State attended a brief religious ceremony near the coffin, during which the priest quoted an imaginary dialogue in Heaven between Pelé and God, who would have said to him: “Here you are still King, but I am the Lord”.
“He was incomparable, as a footballer and as a man,” Lula said in a video broadcast by Santos TV shortly after the president’s visit.
“No tribute would be strong enough for what he represented, for the history he wrote. It’s a great feeling of pride and gratitude,” Edinho, son of Pelé, former goalkeeper and current coach of Londrina, a club in the Brazilian second division, told reporters on the sidelines of the funeral wake.
“It’s a deserved farewell for the greatest player in history, a celebration fit for a king,” said Rene Rodrigo da Silva, a 29-year-old psychologist who attended the funeral procession.
Tributes have poured in from around the world since Pele’s death, with football’s biggest names, current and former, hailing his genius for the “beautiful game”.
Edson Arantes do Nascimento, known as Pelé, spent a month in Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo until his death on Thursday at age 82 from kidney and heart failure, bronchopneumonia and adenocarcinoma of the colon, according to the death certificate published by local media.