The lying-in-state ceremony for football legend Pele has started today in a public showing at the home ground of his former club Santos.
The three-time World Cup winner will have his coffin placed at the center circle of the Vila Belmiro Stadium in Sao Paulo where there will be gate access for the general public and separate entrances for political officials and other prominent figures, along with members of the press.
However, the iconic figure’s private burial will take place at the Memorial Necropole Ecumenical, a vertical cemetery in Santos, on Tuesday with only family members present, after a parade through the streets of Santos.
Pele will be buried on the ninth floor of the cemetery, as per his last wish of being buried in his beloved home city of Santos, as a special homage to his father, Dodinho, who always wore the No. 9 shirt as a player.
Arguably the greatest footballer of all time, he spent the majority of his career at Santos, amassing over 650 competitive appearances and about 643 goals for the club while winning numerous trophies, including six Brazilian league titles.
Immediately after the announcement of Pele’s death, Brazil declared a three-day holiday for national mourning and many fans, football experts across the world alongside Brazil’s political office holders are expected to attend the funeral.
After lying in state at the Vila Belmiro stadium, Pele’s casket will be carried through the streets of Santos to the home of his 100-year-old mother, Celeste Arantes.
