CNN
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The Brazilians began to pay their last respects to great football Pele with a 24-hour public vigil, which began Monday at the Urbano Caldeira stadium, home of his former soccer club, Santos.
The vigil is open to the public and mourners begin entering the stadium on Monday morning.
On Tuesday, a funeral procession will then take place Pele coffin on the streets of the city of Santos, including passing the street where Pelé’s 100-year-old mother, Celeste Arantes, lives.
The process will continue for Pele final resting place, Memorial Necropole Ecumênica Cemetery, where private funerals for family members will be held.
Fireworks greeted the hearse carrying Pele’s coffin as it left Albert Einstein Hospital in São Paulo, where the three-time World Cup winner died on Thursday from multiple organ failure due to the progression of colon cancer.
The hearse was under heavy police escort as he made his way to the stadium, where his coffin will be placed in the middle of the pitch.
Fans had already started lining the streets in the early hours of Monday morning, many holding flags or banners with messages for ‘O Rey’ (“The king”). “Pelé, you are eternal”, we read at the edge of the highway.
Inside the 16,000-seat Santos stadium, a number of large banners had been placed in the stands, one of which read “long live the king”.
Pele’s son Edson Nascimento posted a series of stories on Instagram about the trip to Santos.
“Bring our king home,” it read, showing the convoy on the highway. Another showed his hand above the coffin with the caption: ‘We are home’.
Famous Brazilians, including players such as Romário and Neymar Jr., as well as club officials from Real Madrid and São Paulo FC, were also present.
According to CNN Brasil, Pelé’s widow, Marcia Aoki, attended the wake and was seen kissing Edson Nascimento.
People of all ages flocked to the stadium as the gates of the memorial opened and many were wearing the iconic yellow jersey worn by the Brazil football team and Santos FC shirts.
It was a dark occasion and many fans were overwhelmed with emotion, tears streaming down their faces as they made their way to the floor. The public entrance to the stadium was adorned with bouquets of flowers and the Santos FC flag flew at half mast.
The song Meu Legado (“my legacy”), sung by Pelé, was played on a loop inside the stadium from the moment his coffin entered, as fans sang the lyrics.
Among the first to arrive to pay their respects was FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
“Pele is forever,” Infantino told reporters, according to Reuters. FIFA will certainly honor the “king” as he deserves.
“We 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 name a stadium after Pelé. Future generations must know and remember who Pelé was.
For more than 60 years, the name Pelé has been synonymous with football. He has played in four World Cups and is the only player in history to win three, but his legacy extends far beyond his trophy and remarkable goalscoring record.
“I was born to play football, just like Beethoven was born to write music and Michelangelo was born to paint,” Pelé said.
Pelé, born Edson Arantes do Nascimento, is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in history and Brazil held three days of national mourning after his death.
Sports stars, politicians and musicians around the world have paid tribute to a man who transcended his sport and became a global icon.
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