Santos (Brazil), Jan 2 (EFE).- Several Brazilian soccer fans spent the night lining up to attend Pele’s wake this Monday, who died last Thursday at the age of 82.
Three hours before the opening of the funeral chapel, scheduled for 10:00 a.m. (1:00 p.m. GMT), about a hundred people waited patiently in front of the gates of the Vila Belmiro stadium, in the city of Santos.
One of the first to stand in line was Marcos Ribeiro, a nurse, who arrived at the stadium at seven in the afternoon on Sunday, after traveling some 500 kilometers by road from the city of Curitiba.
Ribeiro told EFE that he met Pelé about fifteen years ago, when the Brazilian star was developing a social project at the hospital where he worked and, he says, he felt “the energy” of the three-time world champion.
«When we learned of his death, I insisted on coming with my family, with my two children. It is a moment of sadness, but also of joy for the legacy he left,” she commented.
Andreia Leite, carrying a baby in her arms, arrived in line with her family, coming from Sao Paulo, around two in the morning, accompanying her husband, a “football addict.”
“Pelé was a milestone for history (…) he is above any team, he unites nations,” said Leite, whose family is all from Corinthians, one of Pelé’s historic rivals of Santos.
Another fan, Igor Lima, dressed in the Santos jersey, decided to accompany the funeral procession that brought Pelé’s mortal remains this morning from Sao Paulo to Santos, a port city located about 80 kilometers from the regional capital.
“He deserves it, no matter the distance. I am a fan of Santos, I do everything I can investigate about him. Pelé he was from another planet, there will never be another like it. It’s worth being here,” said Lima, who also traveled with his partner and a baby and has been in line since three in the morning.
The burning chapel, installed in the center of the pitch of the Vila Belmiro stadium, will open its doors at 10:00 a.m. (1:00 p.m. GMT) and will remain open for 24 hours to receive fans and authorities.
On Tuesday, a funeral procession will pass through the Channel 6 area, where Pelé’s mother, Celeste Arantes, who is 100 years old, lives, before heading to the Ecumenical Necropolis Memorial Cemetery, where he will be buried in a private ceremony. , reserved for family members.
Edson Arantes do Nascimento “Pelé” died last Thursday in a hospital in Sao Paulo where he spent a month admitted due to complications from colon cancer that he was diagnosed with in 2021.EF
