By Tim Parsons-
Every country in the world will be aasked to name one of their football stadiums with the name of Pele,” Fifa president Gianni Infantino has said following the death of the legendary striker.
Brazil’s government declared three days of national mourning after Pele’s death.
Thousands of mourners have gathered to pay their respects to the Brazil legend for the past few days. Pele who is lying in state at the ground of his former club Santos.
Pele’s coffin was placed in the centre of the pitch at the Urbano Caldeira stadium in Sao Paulo, as fans lined the streets to get inside the ground
A procession through the streets of Santos is to take place on Tuesday, which is expected to potentially rival the queen’s funeral.
Pele is credited with being the world’s greatest ever player, and had been undergoing treatment for colon cancer since 2021.Thousands of fans gathered on the streets as the hearse arrived at the stadium on Monday morning, with some queuing overnight to see the coffin.
Former Brazil midfielder Ze Roberto and Pele’s son Edinho helped carry his coffin while floral wreaths were sent by Neymar, Vinicius Junior and Real Madrid.
The coffin of the three-time World Cup winner was carried to the centre circle of the Brazilian’s club’s Vila Belmiro stadium where he will lie in state for 24 hours.
The sporting icon, nicknamed “The King” because of his supreme footballing ability, died last week at the age of 82 following a long illness with colon cancer.
Pele played almost his entire club career at Santos, a satellite city of Sao Paulo, where he grew up.
After lying in state at the Vila Belmiro stadium, Pele’s casket will be carried through the streets of Santos to the home of his 100-year-old mother.
He will then be buried at the Memorial Necropole Ecumenical, a vertical cemetery in Santos, on Tuesday, with only his family present.
The Genio men had travelled overnight with the hearse carrying Pele’s body from Sao Paolo. “We followed him all the way. We’ve been here since 3.30am,” they said.
He played 656 competitive matches for the side, helping them to numerous trophies, including six Brazilian league titles.
After lying in state at the Vila Belmiro stadium, Pele’s casket will be carried through the streets of Santos to the home of his 100-year-old mother.
He will then be buried at the Memorial Necropole Ecumenical, a vertical cemetery in Santos, on Tuesday, with only his family present.
Such is Pele’s influence in Brazil, and the wider footballing world, millions of people are expected to descend on Santos over the next few days.
His funeral will be held in the stadium where he played some of the best matches of his career.