Tributes to ‘King’ Pele – Brazil in mourning for its hero
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A huge crowd is expected to line the streets as the Brazilian national hero’s coffin passes through his home city of Santos on Tuesday. He will be taken past the homes of family members, including that of his 100-year-old mother Celeste, who still lives in the port city.
From there he will go to a “vertical” cemetery called the Memorial Necrópole Ecumênica, which is 14 storeys high, for a family burial. The Guinness Book of Records notes the building as the world’s tallest cemetery. It has 14,000 vaults.
The funeral will follow three days of national mourning declared by outgoing president Jair Bolsonaro for the “King of Football”.
Pele became an icon in Brazil’s No 10 shirt. He is the only player to win three World Cups.
He passed away on Thursday at the age of 82 from colon cancer.
The Albert Einstein hospital in Sao Paulo said he died at 3.27pm local time “due to the failure of multiple organs as a result of the progression of colon cancer”.
His body will be taken from the hospital to the Estadio Urbano Caldeira or Vila Belmiro stadium in Santos at dawn on Monday.
The coffin will be placed in the centre of the pitch and the public allowed to file past to pay respects from 10am for around 24 hours.
The procession will then begin.
Pele – full name Edson Arantes do Nascimento – played for the city’s Santos FC from 1956 until 1974.
The club said: “The body of the greatest football player of all time will be laid to rest at Estadio Urbano Caldeira where he enchanted the world .
“Santos FC deeply regrets the death of the best football player of all time, the man who took the name of our club to the world, our greatest idol, who immortalised the number 10 shirt and turned it into a work of art.
“Any tribute is small compared to the greatness of Edson Arantes do Nascimento, our eternal KING’ PELE.”
Daughter Kely Nascimento confirmed his death with a social media post that said: “Everything. we are is thanks to you. We love you infinitely. Rest in peace.”
Kely, who posted before Christmas that the family would spend the holiday with Pele, added three heartbroken emojis.
Glowing tributes flowed from around the world for the genius who first won the World Cup at 17 in 1958, followed by success in Chile in 1962 and Mexico in 1970.
Ex-England goalkeeper Peter Shilton, 73, called him a “gentleman”.
He said: “Pele was the greatest player we’ve seen. He didn’t have a weakness. He was good at g nd everything. I had a great moment when I was 18 – I sat on the bench when England played in Rio. To see him in the flesh, close up, was unbelievable, a great feeling.
“When he came to me, for some reason, he grabbed me and put his arms around me and gave me the biggest s hug. He was that sort of person, a really friendly man, a gentleman.”
Stars from across all spheres gave thanks.
Hollywood actor Will Smith said Pele was “the greatest” adding in Portuguese: “Descanse em paz, Rei Pele (Rest in peace King’ Pele)”.
He was joined by celebrities including Naomi Campbell, Sir Richard Branson, Russell Brand, Liam Gallagher, Billy Bragg, Boy George, Irvine Welsh and Robert Carlyle.
US President Joe Biden said his rise from “humble beginnings to soccer legend is a story of what is possible”.
Former US leader Barack Obama added: “As one of the most recognisable athletes he understood the power of sports to bring people together.”
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