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Pelé’s body has finally been laid to rest after a humungous public wake, funeral procession and memorial for the football legend.
He had been diagnosed with colon cancer in September 2021 and was admitted to hospital in November last year.
His family confirmed they expected him to be spending the festive season receiving care.
However, it was revealed on December 29 that the man who dazzled Brazil and the world with his talent had died.
His place of burial was carefully chosen in accordance with the footballer’s final wishes.
The Daily Mirror reports that Pele’s body has been buried on the ninth floor of a cemetery in his home city of Santos, Brazil.
The floor was suspected to be chosen as a tribute to his father who wore the number nine shirt when he played.
Pelé himself was most famous for donning a number 10 jersey throughout a glittering career where he won three World Cups and plenty of other competitions.
His final resting place is also in sight of the Estádio Urbano Caldeira, the home of Santos FC where the superstar played out most of his club career.
Fans believe Pelé carefully chose the place of his burial so he will always be able to ‘see’ the pitch where he played so many games.
The Guardian reports the icon ‘scored most of his 1,283 goals for Santos football club’, so it’s only fitting for him to be close to the stadium.
Pelé’s coffin was taken through the streets of Santos following a 24-hour public wake, which saw more than 230,000 people pass by to pay their respects.
Brazil’s newly minted President Lula says the outpouring of grief is understandable for someone of this magnitude.
“Pelé is so special,” Lula said.
“You can’t compare him to anyone because there is nobody comparable when it comes to being a football player or a human.
“He’s a player who, from a very young age, enjoyed such extraordinary exposure … but was never snooty.
“He was always a humble citizen who treated others as equals.
“He never let himself become carried away with his brilliance or with the glory.
“Even in his most glorious moments, like when he met the queen of England, he acted as he would when meeting a normal person on the street.”
It took three hours for the funeral procession to move through the city before it eventually arrived at the cemetery.
Pelé’s son, Edinho, told reporters: “This is such a difficult moment … but we feel great honour and pride. Now, he will rest.”
Topics: Pele
FIFA President will ask every country in the world to name a stadium after Pelé
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Pelé could soon be immortalised across every country in the world if the President of FIFA gets his way.
Gianni Infantino says he will soon be asking all the nations on our planet to name a stadium after the Brazilian footballing legend.
He sadly died at the age of 82 just before the end of 2022 after a short stint in hospital for treatment for health issues.
Pelé won the World Cup three times and scored more than 1,000 goals during his career and Infantino believes everyone needs a constant reminder of that legacy wherever they go.
According to The Guardian, the FIFA boss told reporters: “We’re going to ask every country in the world to name one of their football stadiums with the name of Pelé.”
He said doing this will ensure ‘children know Pele’s importance’ on football and on the world.
It will be interesting to see whether that will happen.
In Rio de Janeiro, plans to put Pelé’s name on the Maracanã stadium were abandoned two years ago.
The state governor vetoed the idea and it’s now named Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho.
Brazil has kicked off its 24-hour wake for Pelé, which will allow the public to come and pay their respects to the legend before he’s buried.
The wake is being held at Urbano Caldeira Stadium, which is the home of his former football club, Santos.
Once the wake is completed, a funeral procession will go through the streets until it reaches the Memorial Necrópole Ecumênica cemetery.
A private funeral will be held for family members before Pelé is finally buried.
According to the Daily Mirror, his final resting place is also in sight of the Estádio Urbano Caldeira, the home of Santos FC, where Pele played out most of his club career.
Fans believe Pele carefully chose the place of his burial so he will always be able to ‘see’ the pitch where he played so many games.
He had been diagnosed with colon cancer in September 2021, and was admitted to hospital a month before his death, with his family confirming they expected him to be spending the festive season receiving care.
Source:Sport Bible,Belafast Telegraph