Pelé lies in state at former club Santos' stadium, as thousands gather to pay respects to football icon
2 January 2023, 16:26 | Updated: 2 January 2023, 22:42
Mourners have gathered at the stadium of Pelé's former club Santos, where the legendary Brazilian footballer is lying in state.
His coffin was placed in the circle of the pitch at Urbano Caldeira stadium in Sao Paulo, where his body will remain for 24 hours.
A procession through the streets to the home of Pelé's 100-year-old mother will follow, before the three-time World Cup winner is buried at the Memorial Necropole Ecumenica on Tuesday.
The celebrated footballer died aged 82 on December 29.
Three days of national mourning were declared by the Brazilian government after his death.
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Among the mourners was Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Gilmar Mendes, who came to pay his respects.
"It is a very sad moment, but we are now seeing the real meaning of this legendary player to our country," he told journalists.
"My office has shirts signed by Pele, a picture of him as a goalkeeper, also signed by him. DVDs, photos, a big collection of him."
Pele, who spent the majority of his playing career at the Sao Paolo club, had been receiving treatment for colon cancer since 2021.
Fifa President Gianni Infantino, who was at the memorial, said the governing body will ask all countries to name one of their stadiums after the footballing great.
"Pele had a magnetic presence and, when you were with him, the rest of the world stopped, he said.
"His life is about more than football. He changed perceptions for the better in Brazil, in South America and across the world. His legacy is impossible to summarise in words."
Thousands of people were on the streets as the hearse arrived at Santos' ground on Monday morning, with some waiting overnight in order to see the coffin.
South American football journalist Tim Vickery said it was "going to be a huge global occasion".
He told Radio 5 Live: "Pele is a source of huge pride for Brazil. He is not from Santos but it is a city that he made his home, and he is theirs - but he also belongs to the world."
Brazilian journalist Ricardo Seyton, who had worked closely with the Brazil superstar, said the day was going to be "intense".
"It is the people of the streets, the public, who are making this day so beautiful," he told the radio station.
"It is amazing to see people in football shirts from all around the world - that is the legend of Pele."
Commemorations for Pele's passing were held at all Premier League football matches this past weekend.
