January 28, 2023, 5:30 PM
January 28, 2023, 5:30 PM
Applause, shirts with the number ’10’ and a hall of honor for their relatives: former star Pelé, who died almost a month ago in Sao Paulo at the age of 82, was honored this Saturday in Brasilia before the start of the Brazilian Super Cup between Palmeiras and Flamengo.
Two of the daughters of ‘O Rei’, Flavia and Kely Nascimento, they walked in the middle of a hall of honor formed by the players on the grass of the Mané Garrincha stadium in the Brazilian capital.
The two women, visibly moved, carried two of the three World Cups won by the former striker, only footballer to win three world titles (1958, 1962, 1970).
The third was in the hands of the president of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), Ednaldo Rodriguez. The entity, in charge of organizing the party, did not specify at the moment if they were replicas or the original cups.
The Flamengo and Palmeiras players, who wore yellow and black shirts with ’10’ stamped on the front, the number immortalized by Pelé, applauded as they approached midfield, where the trophies were displayed before kick-off.
A gigantic white flag with a photograph of a youthful Edson Arantes do Nascimento, the word king and the infinity symbol.
“Pelé is the greatest player of all time and deserves to be remembered forever by the CBF. We will always work to preserve its history and perpetuate its legacy,” said Rodrigues, quoted in a note from the entity.
The thousands of assistants applauded the tribute to the “king of soccer”, died of cancer on December 29 in a hospital in Sao Paulo.
Since then several tributes have been made, inside and outside of Brazil, including a massive wake in the Brazilian city of Santos, to honor what many consider the best footballer in history.
The Super Cup faces the champion of the Brasileirao (Palmeiras) and the Copa do Brasil (Flamengo).
