'Thank you, King': Brazil lights up in honour of Pele

Brazil has woken up to its archetypal time without footballing fable Pele.

"The King", who won 3 World Cups and was wide considered the top footballer of each time, died astatine the property of 82 successful Sao Paulo connected Thursday.

Overnight, Pele's look shone connected buildings crossed the South American federation and landmarks were lit up successful his memory. Fans took the streets dressed successful his iconic fig 10 shirt.

Brazil's authorities has declared 3 days of nationalist mourning.

Fans started gathering extracurricular Sao Paulo's Albert Einstein infirmary connected Thursday day erstwhile they heard quality of Pele's death. Outside, a banner work "Eternal King Pele".

Pele had been undergoing attraction for colon crab since 2021. Knowing his information was worsening, Brazilians had spent weeks reflecting connected his beingness and legacy.

The infirmary issued a connection confirming his decease from aggregate organ nonaccomplishment connected to his cancer.

But successful a reflection of his status, the infirmary added it shared the suffering felt by the household and everyone implicit the nonaccomplishment of "our beloved King of football".

One man, lasting extracurricular the FIESP gathering successful São Paulo arsenic it displayed a colourful tribute, spoke of the strength of feeling for Pele.

"It is indescribable to accidental astatine this infinitesimal what we are going done here; the loss," Widisley Guimaraes told Reuters quality agency.

Tributes person poured successful for the precocious footballer, including from Brazil guardant Neymar, who said: "Before Pele, shot was lone a sport."

"Pele changed everything. He turned shot into art, into entertainment. He gave a dependable to the poor, to achromatic people."

France striker and Neymar's Paris St-Germain team-mate Kylian Mbappe added "his bequest volition ne'er beryllium forgotten".

Pele scored a satellite grounds of 1,281 goals successful 1,363 appearances during a 21-year career, including 77 goals successful 92 matches for his country.

The lone subordinate to triumph the World Cup 3 times, lifting the trophy successful 1958, 1962 and 1970, Pele was named Fifa's Player of the Century successful 2000.

But helium was a taste icon, too.

As a achromatic man, Pele roseate to the presumption of nationalist treasure successful a state with a heavy past of slavery and bequest of segregation that persists.

Although helium seldom talked astir racism, helium championed the powerfulness of shot to bring the federation together.

Pele's aftermath volition beryllium held connected Monday astatine the Santos Football nine - for galore years, his location stadium.

The pursuing day, his coffin volition beryllium carried done the streets of his coastal hometown Santos, earlier a backstage burial.