CNN
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A funeral procession which will take footballer Pelé to his final resting place began on Tuesday.
The procession began at the Urbano Caldeira stadium, home of Pelé’s former club Santos, and his coffin will be carried through the streets of Santos town, including passing the street where Pelé’s 100-year-old mother lives. years, Celeste Arantes.
It will continue to the Memorial Necrópole Ecumênica Cemetery, where a private funeral will be held for family members.
the The three-time World Cup winner died Thursday at the age of 82 from multiple organ failure due to the progression of colon cancer.
Tributes from around the world have poured in since, with people of all ages flocking to his 24-hour public vigil, which began Monday at the 16,000-seater Santos stadium, popularly known as “Vila Belmiro”.
More than 230,000 people, many of whom wore Brazil’s iconic yellow jersey, had attended the wake, according to Santos.
The stadium gates closed with thousands of mourners still in line and people were turned away, according to CNN crews on the ground.
Thousands of people lined the streets, waving flags and cheering as the Brazilian’s coffin passed.
Pele’s sister Lucia was seen tearfully waving from a balcony to the crowds that had gathered outside her mother’s house.
Brazilian President Lula da Silva arrived at the vigil on Tuesday morning with “very” heavy police security to welcome the president’s presence, Santos told CNN.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino traveled to Brazil to pay his respects on Monday.
“Pelé is forever,” Infantino told reporters, according to Reuters. “FIFA will certainly honor the ‘king’ as he deserves.
“We asked all the football associations in the world to observe a minute of silence before each game and we will also ask 211 countries to name a stadium after Pelé. Future generations must know and remember who Pelé was.
For more than 60 years, the name Pelé has been synonymous with football. He has played in four World Cups and is the only player in history to win three, but his legacy extends far beyond his trophy and remarkable goalscoring record.
“I was born to play football, just like Beethoven was born to write music and Michelangelo was born to paint,” Pelé said.
Pelé, born Edson Arantes do Nascimento, is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in history and Brazil held three days of national mourning after his death.
