Thousands of moved Brazilians paid a last tribute to Pelé at Santos on Monday, praying in front of the coffin of the “King” of football exposed in the middle of the stadium where he built his legend.
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Shortly after 3 p.m. local time, five hours after the start of the wake, a line of Pelé supporters snaked for 1.5 kilometers in front of the stadium, waiting to enter, according to Globo television. Some 7,000 people had already passed in front of the coffin of “King” Pelé.
Many of the admirers had come from other cities in Brazil, sometimes traveling hundreds of kilometers to take part in this vigil, which was open to the public for 24 hours.
Inside the stadium, admirers of Pelé, who died Thursday at the age of 82, advanced slowly and calmly to the large white awning where his open coffin, covered with a veil of tulle, is exposed.
Arriving early, Pele’s third wife, Marcia Cibela Aoki, dressed in black and in tears, rubbed her hand over the head of the footballing legend she married in 2016. Three of Pele’s six surviving children were in attendance .
Dozens of wreaths, sent by football personalities such as Paris star SG Neymar or foreign clubs such as Real Madrid, were placed around the coffin.
Neymar, detained in Paris, will not make the trip to Brazil, but his father, Neymar da Silva Sr, dressed in a blue suit, went to collect himself near the remains of Pelé.
He “inspired all generations, he was always a reference”, said the father of Neymar, the “number 10” who equalized the number of goals of Pelé in the national team (77) during the recent World Cup in Qatar.
Among those present was FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who came to Brazil especially to pay tribute to what many consider to be the greatest footballer of all time.
“We are going to ask every country in the world to name one of their stadiums after Pelé,” he told reporters.
“We are filled with sadness. Pelé is eternal, he is a world football icon,” he added.
Three giant banners were placed in the stands of the 16,000-seat enclosure: one showing Pelé from behind with the “10” jersey that the ex-striker immortalized. On the other two, one could read “Vive le Roi” and “Pelé 82 years old”.
A procession was then to go through the streets of Santos, a city located 75 kilometers southeast of Sao Paulo, on Tuesday, before the burial, in the intimacy of the family, after a religious ceremony.
“With family”
Many supporters had arrived around the stadium long before the gates opened. When they were allowed in, supporters cheered, shouting, “Pelé, Pelé, Pelé!”.
Carlos Mota, 59, came specially from Rio de Janeiro, 500 kilometers away. He wears the jersey of Fluminense, his favorite club, and his son Bernardo, 12, that of FC Barcelona.
“I always told my son that there were three things that weren’t discussed: the ball is round, the lawn is green and Pelé is the tallest”.
“I am very moved. We loved watching his matches as a family,” said Vera Lucia, a 75-year-old retiree who lives in Sao Paulo.
“Eternal”
Security has been tightened at Congonhas airport in Sao Paulo in anticipation of the arrival of sportsmen, politicians and other personalities, according to the Folha de S.Paulo newspaper.
The death of the genius player, who scored 1,283 goals in his 21-year career, most with his club Santos, moved beyond Brazil.
Edson Arantes do Nascimento, known as Pelé, spent a month in Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo until his death from kidney and heart failure, bronchopneumonia and colon adenocarcinoma, according to the death certificate published by several local media.
“We were with him” on December 21, assured his sister Maria Lucia. “He was very calm, we talked a little, but I felt (…) that he already knew he was going to leave,” she testified.