Brazilians bid final farewell to Pelé with 24-hour wake and coffin procession - CNN

CNN  — 

Brazilians person started paying their last respects to shot large Pelé with a 24-hour nationalist wake, which began connected Monday astatine the Urbano Caldeira Stadium, the location of his erstwhile shot club, Santos.

The aftermath is unfastened to the nationalist and mourners began entering the stadium Monday morning.

On Tuesday, a ceremonial procession volition past transportation Pelé’s coffin done the streets of the metropolis of Santos, including passing down the thoroughfare wherever Pelé’s 100-year-old mother, Celeste Arantes, lives.

The procession volition proceed to Pelé’s last resting place, the Memorial Necrópole Ecumênica cemetery, wherever a backstage ceremonial volition beryllium held for household members.

Fireworks greeted the hearse carrying Pelé’s coffin arsenic it near the Albert Einstein Hospital successful São Paulo, wherever the three-time World Cup victor died connected Thursday from aggregate organ nonaccomplishment owed to the progression of colon cancer.

The hearse was nether a dense constabulary escort arsenic it headed the stadium, wherever his coffin volition beryllium placed successful the mediate of the pitch.

Fans had already started lining the streets successful the aboriginal hours of Monday morning, galore holding flags oregon banners with messages for ‘O Rei’ (“The King”). “Pelé, you are eternal,” work 1 by the broadside of the highway.

Inside Santos’ 16,000-seater stadium, a fig of ample banners had been placed passim the stands, with 1 speechmaking “long unrecorded The King.”

For much than 60 years, the sanction Pelé has been synonymous with football. He played successful 4 World Cups and is the lone subordinate successful past to triumph three, but his bequest stretched acold beyond his trophy haul and singular goal-scoring record.

“I was calved to play football, conscionable similar Beethoven was calved to constitute euphony and Michelangelo was calved to paint,” Pelé famously said.

Pelé, calved Edson Arantes bash Nascimento, is wide regarded arsenic 1 of the top players successful past and Brazil held 3 days of nationalist mourning pursuing his death.

Tributes person poured successful from sports stars, politicians and musicians from each astir the satellite for a antheral that transcended his athletics and became a planetary icon.