CNN
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The funeral took place on Tuesday in a football frenzy as thousands lined the streets skin to his final resting place.
had started in Urbano Caldera StadiumThe home of Pele’s former club Santos and his coffin were carried through the streets of Santos City, including the street where Pele’s 100-year-old mother Celeste Arantes lives.
It proceeded to the Memorial Necropole Ecumenica Cemetery, where a private interment will be held for family members.
The three-time World Cup winner died on Thursday at the age of 82 of multi-organ failure due to progression of colon cancer.
Tributes poured in from around the world as people of all ages flocked to Santos’ 16,000-seat arena, popularly known as “Vila Belmiro,” for his 24-hour public vigil that began Monday.
More than 230,000 people attended, many wearing Brazil’s iconic yellow jersey, according to Santos.
According to a CNN crew at the ground, the stadium doors were closed and people were turned away, with thousands of mourners still in line.
Huge crowds lined the streets, waving flags and clapping as the Brazilian’s coffin passed by.
Pele’s sister, Lucia, watched tearfully from the balcony of the crowd gathered outside her mother’s house. Then the coffin came to the grave.
President of Brazil Lula da Silva He woke up Tuesday morning to “heavily” beefed-up police security to accommodate the president’s presence, Santos told CNN.
“Pele is incomparable as a footballer and as a man,” Lula told Reuters on Tuesday.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino also visited Brazil on Monday to pay his respects.
“Pele is eternal,” Infantino told Reuters reporters. “FIFA will certainly honor the deserving ‘King’.
“We have asked all football associations around the world to observe a minute’s silence before every match and to name a stadium in 211 countries after Pele. Future generations should know and remember who Pele was.
For over 60 years, the name Pele has been synonymous with football. He played in four World Cups and is the only player in history to win three, but his legacy extends beyond his trophy and remarkable goalscoring record.
Pele famously said that I was born to play football like Beethoven was born to write music and Michelangelo was born to paint.
Born Edson Arantes do Nascimento, Pele is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in history, and Brazil observed three days of national mourning following his death.
