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Brazil bids farewell to beloved soccer star Pele


Emotional crowds bid farewell to Brazilian soccer legend Pele on January 3, along the streets of Santos.

Pele’s sister, Maria Lucia Nascimento, family members and friends bid farewell to the Brazilian soccer legend as his coffin was transported by the fire department and passed in front of his mother Celeste Arantes’ home in Santos, Brazil, on January 3, 2023. REUTERS/Diego Vara

SANTOS, Brazil – An emotional crowd bid farewell to Brazilian soccer legend Pele on Tuesday, January 3, lining the streets of Santos to watch his coffin be carried to his final resting place from the stadium of the city, where 230,000 mourners lined up past his open coffin.

Young and old hugged each other as the funeral passed through the streets of the coastal city for hours, with some fans in tears and others cheering and drumming for a national hero who rose to prominence. From barefoot poverty to becoming one of the greatest and most famous athletes in modern history.

“It’s an irreparable loss for Brazil,” said Brazil’s newly sworn-in President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. “Pele, in addition to being the best footballer in the world, is also a humble and simple man.”

Pele died last week at the age of 82 after a year of battling colon cancer. He was laid to rest in the city’s Ecumenical Memorial Cemetery, a 14-story vertical cemetery with a view of the soccer field in Santos that made him a star.

READ: Pele passed away after a long battle with cancer and left the world mourning

Pele’s funeral left the city’s Vila Belmiro stadium, home of Santos Football Club, on Tuesday morning. Pele played from 1956 to 1974 for the national team, scoring over 1,000 goals. In the wake of 24 hours, fans lined up for hours to pay their respects, even overnight.

One of Tuesday’s most emotional moments came when the fire truck carrying his coffin stopped outside the home of Pele’s 100-year-old mother. The crowd there clapped and chanted “Pele is our king” before remaining silent for a minute.

Pele’s sister, Maria Lucia Nascimento, 78, tearfully watched from her balcony and thanked the crowd during a brief televised interview.

Pele’s son, Edson Cholbi Nascimento, addressed the cemetery crowd as fireworks greeted the arrival of the coffin and mourners sang Santos’ national anthem.

READ: Brazilian football legend Pele dies at the age of 82

“I want to thank you on behalf of the whole family for all the love and respect,” he said. “It’s an honor, it’s a great pride. Thank you again. Now he will rest.”

The mausoleum where Pele lies will be open to the public for seven days, the cemetery said.

On the streets of Santos, the city of 430,000 people where Pele has lived most of his life, some struggle to accept their loss.

“I am still trying to understand this. Marcelo Caverna, a Pele fan, said: ‘No matter how much we prepare, we are never ready for the breakup. “We’re not just saying goodbye to our king, we’re saying goodbye to a genius, a legend of the Brazilian people.”

“You can see that the whole city has stopped. The whole world stopped,” said mourner Ezequias Leonardo.

Members of the National Guard are pictured as the coffin of Brazilian football legend Pele is transported by the fire department from his former club Santos’ Vila Belmiro stadium in Santos, Brazil on Jan. January 3, 2023. REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli

wake up the stadium

FIFA President Gianni Infantino was among the first to arrive at the stadium’s wake-up ceremony on Monday, January 2, and said he would ask football associations around the world to name a stadium. campaigning after Pele, the only person to win the World Cup three times as a player. .

READ: Last farewell to Pele, the ‘King’ of Brazilian football

Several football stars attended the wake, including former Brazil midfielder Ze Roberto, who helped place Pele’s coffin in the middle of the pitch on Monday.

“Long live the king,” reads a giant banner inside the stadium.

Lula stood for about 30 minutes next to Pele’s coffin, covered with a Brazilian flag, in the middle of the football field, and he comforted members of Pele’s family.

READ: The death of Pele, ‘who stopped the world’: Who said what

Former soccer player Clodoaldo, who played with Pele at Santos and with the Brazil national team, told reporters, “I went to the mourners… and I kissed them all, as if Pele were there. this. I’m sure that’s what he’s going to do.”

“I kissed everyone on the head. It’s Pele’s way of giving thanks for everything that’s happening today.”

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