SANTOS. — Brazilian football fans wept and waved goodbye to “the King’’ at Pele’s funeral in Santos yesterday.
Thousands of fans lined the streets of Santos for Pele’s funeral.
And the new Brazil president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was among those to pay tribute to the national icon ahead of his burial yesterday.
The only man to win three World Cup titles passed away aged 82-years-old on December 29. He had been fighting a year long battle against colon cancer and even had a tumour removed from his colon in September.
However, the Brazilian’s condition gradually got worse and worse, until he passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family members, just after Christmas. Pele was certainly given a send off fitting for a player of his prestige, skill, and beauty.
Tributes have flooded in from the footballing community and beyond for a man widely considered to be one of the best — if not the best — to ever play the game.
His body was placed in an open coffin in the middle of the Vila Belmiro Stadium in the Brazilian city where he played for 18 years with 230 000 mourners filing past after a 2km queue.
The coffin was carried by ex-Brazil midfielder Ze Roberto as well as Pele’s son Edinho, with floral wreaths sent by Neymar, Vinicius Junior and Real Madrid.
Edinho was visibly emotional while Pele’s wife Marcia Aoki was comforted by Lula and FIFA president Gianni Infantino also paid his respects.
Pele was yesterday buried at the Memorial Necropole Ecumenica, a vertical cemetery in Santos, only in the presence of family.
Pelé, considered by many to be the greatest footballer of all time, has been lying in state at the Santos stadium since Monday.
And after 24 hours, it was draped in a Brazil flag guarded by army soldiers yesterday morning for the procession through the city.
The fire engine drove slowly past the house of his 100-year-old mother before arriving at his final resting place on the ninth floor of the 14-storey ‘’vertical cemetery’’ with a small ceremony for family members and friends.
The Memorial Necropole Ecumenica includes crypts, rooms to hold services, a crematorium, and even overlooks Pele’s beloved stadium.
Brazil also announced three days of national mourning for Pele.
Thousands of football fans waited to say their farewells to the legendary forward. Brazilians of all ages recognise the impact Pele has had on their nation.
Many fans struggled to hold back the tears while many wept for some time as Pele was brought from Urbano Caldeira Stadium home ground through to the streets of Santos.
Claudio Carranca, a 32-year-old salesman, said: “I never saw him play, but loving Pelé is a tradition that goes from father to son in Santos. I learned his history, saw his goals, and I see how Santos FC is important because he is important.
“I know some Santos fans have children supporting other teams, but that’s just because they never saw Pelé in action; if they had, they would feel this gratitude I feel now.”
Among those at the stadium was Pelé’s best friend Manoel Maria, also a former Santos player. “If I had all the wealth in the world I would never be able to repay what this man did for me and my family,” Maria said.
“He was as great a man as he was as a player — the best of all time. His legacy will outlive us all, and that can be seen in this long line with people of all ages here.”
The iconic yellow and green colours of Brazil, whether it was flags or football shirts, permeated the capacity crowd. One supporter even proudly showed off a tattoo of the legendary player wearing a crown on top of his head.
Pele was hailed as the King by the thousands of supporters present. Brazilian president Lula da Silva was also in attendance for Pele’s final journey.
However, the newly elected leader of Brazil Lula da Silva was heavily booed and castigated by the Santos crowd, with many labelling him a “thief’’ while others shouted “you should be in prison’’. While the country may be heavily divided politically, they all came together to say goodbye to Pele.
Reports from the Mirror understand his mother Celeste was the final person to say goodbye to Pele at the funeral. His older sister Maria Lucia do Nascimento revealed the 100-year-old was unaware her son had passed away.
“We talk but she doesn’t know the situation. She’s in her own world,” Nascimento said recently. “She opens her eyes when I mention his name and say, ‘We’re going to pray for him’ but she’s not really conscious of what I’m saying.” — Agencies
