Fans gather at Brazilian stadium to mourn soccer great Pelé before Tuesday funeral | CBC Sports
Thousands of mourners started paying their respects to Pelé in a solemn procession previous his coffin on the Vila Belmiro Stadium in his hometown of Santos, Brazil, on Monday.
The soccer nice, a three-time World Cup winner, died Thursday at age 82 after a battle with colon most cancers.
Pelé’s coffin was positioned on the sphere the place he scored a few of his greatest targets. Mourners walked previous his casket within the midfield space of the 16,000-seat stadium outdoors Sao Paulo. A Catholic Mass might be celebrated there Tuesday morning earlier than his burial at a close-by cemetery.
Vila Belmiro was embellished with Brazilian flags and No. 10 shirts that grew to become standard after Pelé began carrying them for Santos and Brazil.
The stands have been filling up with bouquets of flowers positioned by mourners and despatched by golf equipment and star gamers — Neymar and Ronaldo amongst them — from world wide as loudspeakers performed a music named “Eu sou Pele” (“I am Pelé”) that was recorded by the Brazilian himself.
Fans arrived early to honour Edson Arantes do Nascimento, globally often known as Pelé.
Among them was FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who informed journalists that each nation ought to title a stadium after Pelé.
“I am here with a lot of emotion, sadness, but also with a smile because he gave us so many smiles,” Infantino stated. “As FIFA, we will pay a tribute to the ‘King’ and we ask the whole world to observe a minute of silence.”
Another fan and buddy in line was Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Gilmar Mendes.
“It is a very sad moment, but we are now seeing the real meaning of this legendary player to our country,” Mendes informed journalists. “My office has shirts signed by Pelé, a picture of him as a goalkeeper, also signed by him. DVDs, photos, a big collection of him.”
Mendes additionally stated Pelé was a humble man regardless of his international fame, and that he deserves each tribute.
Pelé’s casket might be ushered by means of the streets of Santos earlier than his burial. Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and different dignitaries are anticipated to attend.
Pelé had undergone therapy for colon most cancers since 2021. The medical centre the place he had been hospitalized stated he died of a number of organ failure because of the most cancers.
Pele led Brazil to World Cup titles in 1958, 1962 and 1970 and stays one of many workforce’s all-time main scorers with 77 targets. Neymar tied Pele’s report throughout this 12 months’s World Cup in Qatar.
