It’s difficult to picture modern football, or Brazil, without Pelé 45 years after he last played.
Geovana Sarmento, 17, stood in a three-hour line to see his body at the stadium where he spent the majority of his career. She arrived with her father, who was dressed in a Brazil shirt with Pelé’s name on it.
“Neither I nor my father are fans of Santos. But he created Brazil’s national team. He made Santos stronger and bigger; how could you not admire him? We have to celebrate him since he is one of the best guys ever,” she remarked.
Pelé will be laid to rest on Tuesday in the city where he grew up, became famous, and helped make a global football capital. Before his casket is escorted through the streets of Santos to a nearby cemetery, a Catholic Mass will be held at the Vila Belmiro stadium.
Brazil’s newly elected President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva paid his homage at Vila Belmiro after being sworn in for a third term after a comeback victory on Sunday.
After a battle with cancer, the football legend died on Thursday at the age of 82. He is the only player in history to have won three World Cups.
Thousands of mourners, including high school students and Supreme Court judges, filed past Pelé’s body on the century-old pitch where he helped his hometown team become one of the finest in Brazil. Pelé’s coffin was placed on the midfield area of Vila Belmiro, draped in Brazilian and Santos FC football club flags.
Lula came at 9 a.m. and participated in a Catholic Mass as admirers passed by the casket. He also offered his condolences to Pelé’s widow, Marcia Aoki, while placing her head between his hands. He left after 30 minutes.
The famous 16,000-seat stadium was mobbed by mourning fans and was decorated inside with Pelé-themed décor. Fans leaving the stadium reported they had waited three hours in line, standing in the hot sun.
Caio Zalke, 35, an engineer, sat in line wearing a Brazil shirt. “Pelé is the greatest Brazilian of all time. “He made football significant for Brazil and made Brazil important for the rest of the world,” he remarked.
Pelé was possibly the world’s most famous athlete in the 1960s and 1970s. He saw presidents and queens, and a civil war in Nigeria was paused to see him perform. Many Brazilians credit him with introducing their country on the international scene for the first time.
Rows of jerseys bearing Pelé’s number 10 were arranged behind one of the goals, waving in the summer breezes. As loudspeakers played “Eu sou Pelé” (“I am Pelé”), a song recorded by the Brazilian himself, a portion of the stands was filling up with bouquets of flowers put by mourners and brought by clubs and star players — Neymar and Ronaldo among them — from around the world.
The majority of the attendees were locals, however some came from afar. Many of the mourning were too young to have seen Pelé play. People wearing Santos FC and Brazil shirts streamed out of the stadium and into local bars.
“I never saw him play, but admiring Pelé is a tradition that flows from father to son in Santos,” Claudio Carrança, 32, a merchant, said. I heard about his background and aspirations, and I understand why Santos FC is significant because he is important. I know some Santos supporters have children who support other teams. But that’s because they’ve never seen Pelé in action. If they had, they would have felt the same way I do now.”
Pelé’s best friend Manoel Maria, a former Santos player, was there at the stadium.
“I would never be able to repay what this man done for me and my family if I had all the money in the world,” Maria added. “He was as magnificent a man as he was as a player; the best of all time. His legacy will outlast all of us. And this huge line of individuals of all ages demonstrates that.”
According to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, every country should dedicate a stadium after Pelé.
“I’m here with mixed emotions, sadness and joy, because he gave us so many smiles,” Infantino said. “As FIFA, we will pay homage to the ‘King,’ and we request that the entire world observe a minute of silence.”
“I would never be able to repay what this man done for me and my family if I had all the money in the world,” Maria added. “He was as magnificent a man as he was as a player; the best of all time. His legacy will outlast all of us. And this huge line of individuals of all ages demonstrates that.”
According to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, every country should dedicate a stadium after Pelé.
“I’m here with mixed emotions, sadness and joy, because he gave us so many smiles,” Infantino said. “As FIFA, we will pay homage to the ‘King,’ and we request that the entire world observe a minute of silence.”
Pelé led Brazil to World Cup victories in 1958, 1962, and 1970, and he is the team’s all-time greatest scorer with 77 goals. During this year’s World Cup in Qatar, Neymar tied Pelé’s record.
