Brazil says goodbye to Pelé, the king of soccer, with a 24-hour wake

The Brazilian city of Santos, in which Skin became synonymous with soccer brilliance, a 24-hour wake began on Monday to bid farewell to his hero.

Mourners lined up to see Pelé’s body in an open coffin in the center of the field of the Vila Belmiro stadium, home of the Santos Soccer Club. Pelé passed away on Thursday at the age of 82 from colon cancer.

“Pele left millions of Santos fans throughout our country. He was the creator of Brazilian soccer,” said Antonio da Paz, who was outside the stadium to take part in the memorial that began at 10 am (1300 GMT).

The president of the FIFA, Gianni Infantinowas one of the first to arrive at the funeral and said that he would ask all countries to name a stadium after Pele, the only man to have won the World Cup three times. world Cup As a player.

“Pelé is eternal,” Infantino declared to the press. “FIFA will certainly honor the “king” as he deserves. We have asked all the football associations in the world to observe a minute of silence before each game and we will also ask 211 countries to put Pelé’s name on a stadium. Future generations must know and remember who Pele was.”

Edson Arantes do Nascimento -nicknamed Pelé- was born in 1940 in the small rural town of Tres Coracoes, but moved to Santos in 1956 and lived there for most of his life.

Pelé’s body arrived in Santos – a city of about 430,000 inhabitants – early Monday morning from the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo.

The former Brazilian midfielder From Roberto and Pelé’s son, Edinho, helped place the coffin on the field, where there were wreaths sent by players the likes of Neymar, vinicius junior and teams like Real Madridshowed the images on television.

On Tuesday, a procession with his coffin will go through the streets of Santos and end at the Ecumenical Memorial Necropolis Cemetery, where he will be buried in a private ceremony.

The Santos press office reported that some 5,000 journalists from around the world had been accredited to cover the wake.

People began to gather outside the stadium on Sunday, taking photos next to a statue of Pele.

Several authorities are expected to attend the memorial, including the newly inaugurated Brazilian president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silvaand Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, a Santos supporter.

The military police of the state of Sao Paulo said in a statement that it had prepared a special operation called “King Pelé” to guarantee public order.

“I will be here all day, 24 hours a day, from 10 am to 10 am,” fan Roberto Santos said. “Pele deserves it.”