Fans flocked to the Villa Belmiro stadium in Santos, his home town, to pay their last respects before the funeral of football legend Pele.
Fans flocked to pay their respects near his casket, which was placed under a tent on the grounds.
The great Brazilian football player passed away on Thursday after a battle with cancer. He was 82 years old.
Pele’s casket was placed on the ground where he scored some of the best goals of his career. Mourners approached the casket for a final look at the 16,000-seat stadium outside Sao Paulo. His last rites will be performed on Tuesday at the cemetery located just 600 meters from the stadium.
Fans started gathering from the early hours of Monday to pay their last respects to Edson Arantes do Nascimento.
These fans included Gilmar Mendes, judge of the Supreme Court of Brazil. “It is a very sad moment, but now we are seeing the real meaning of this great player’s contribution to our country,” he told reporters here.
Before Pele’s burial, his funeral procession will be paraded through the streets of Santos. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and other dignitaries are expected to attend the funeral.
Pele, one of the greatest footballers of the century, was undergoing treatment for rectal cancer since 2021. He was hospitalized since last month due to multiple ailments.
Credit: bharat.republicworld.com /