Brazilian fans participate this Monday in the wake for the mortal remains of Pelé, considered by many to be the best footballer in history, who died last Thursday at the age of 82.
the wakeopen to the public, is held from 10:00 (13:00 GMT) at Vila Belmiro stadiumfrom the city of Santos, where “O Rei” played at home for most of his sports career.
The stadium lawn, owned by the Santos club, has two white tents installed to receive the thousands of fans who wish to say goodbye to the three-time world champion.
One of the tents, located in the center of the field, will house the coffin with the mortal remains of Edson Arantes do Nascimento “Pelé” and the chairs where your relatives will sit; and the other, on one side, will be reserved for authorities.
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Fans will be able to circulate on a walkway arranged on the grass, parallel to the central tentabout five meters from the place where the coffin will be located.
A huge banner with the phrase “Long live the King. Pelé 82 years old ”covers one of the stands of the stadium where the legendary 10 played a large part of his sports career.
The wake will last 24 hours.until 10:00 a.m. (1:00 p.m. GMT) on Tuesday, when a funeral procession will begin that will go through the streets of Santos, a port city located about 80 kilometers from Sao Paulo, where the former soccer player died.
The procession will pass through the Channel 6 area, where Pelé’s mother lives, Celeste Arantes, who is 100 years oldbefore heading to the Ecumenical Necropolis Memorial Cemetery, where He will be buried in a private ceremony, reserved for family members.
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Pelé died last Thursday at the Sao Paulo hospital where he had been admitted for a month due to multi-organ failure caused by colon cancer that was diagnosed in 2021.
Pelé’s death has caused a shock in the beautiful sport and in Brazil, where the Government decreed official mourning for three days.
