It plunged Brazil and world sports into mourning the death of the legendary Pele, who passed away on Thursday afternoon (29/12) at the age of 82, after a huge battle with cancer. The government of Brazil, in an official announcement, declared three days of national mourning for the loss of the greatest football player the country has ever produced.
Pele’s family asked the administration of Santos to transfer the body of the “king” of world football to “Vila Belmiro”, the headquarters of the Brazilian team where the legendary ace played. Since Pele’s death was announced, thousands of Santos fans have flocked to the club’s historic home to pay their respects to the Brazilian.
At the same time his family Peleintends to formally request Santos’ management to retire the “10” shirt from the team, in memory of the greatest footballer Brazil has ever produced.
Santos officially informed shortly after midnight on Thursday, that the “farewell” to the great Brazilian, through a popular pilgrimage, will take place next Monday (2/1), at the “Vila Belmiro” stadium.
The body of the “king” of football will be transferred from the “Albert Einstein” hospital to the stadium, in the early hours of Monday (2/1).
According to the club, Pele’s coffin will be placed in the center of the stadium and the venue will open to the public at 10am on Monday (2/1). The popular pilgrimage will last until 10 pm on Tuesday (3/1). After the ceremony, there will be a parade through the streets of Santos, which will pass by Canal 6, where Dona Celeste, Pele’s mother, lives.
The body of the greatest footballer who highlighted Brazilian football will be buried in the “Ecumenical Necropolis Monument”, next to the coast of São Paulo, in a ceremony that will be “present” only by members of Pele’s family.
Public access for the public pilgrimage to the stadium will be through gates 2 and 3 and exit will be through gates 7 and 8. Officials will enter to pay their respects to Pele through gate 10.
As it became known from the Hospital of Sao Paulo “Albert Einstein”, the three-time world champion died of multiple organ failure. He had been hospitalized since November 29. His admission to the hospital was due to a respiratory infection, after contracting Covid-19 and to re-evaluate his colon cancer treatment.
Pele underwent surgery in September 2021 and has since undergone repeated chemotherapy sessions. In early 2022, metastases were detected in the intestine, lung and liver.
On December 21, a medical statement from the hospital noted that Pele had “advancement of the oncological disease” and that he needed more care related to kidney and heart dysfunction. Therefore, the former player was not allowed to spend Christmas at home, as the family wanted.
Despite the complicated situation, Pele spent a few days stable and slightly improved. In the last few days, however, the health of the “king” deteriorated again and he “passed away” at 15:27 on Thursday (20:27 Greek time).
The hymns of the “great” personalities about the “king” Pele
The world of football mourns the loss of one of its most iconic figures. Pele’s name has for decades been a reference point as the highest level to which every child, every teenager, every man who dreamed of a brilliant football career could reach.
The “king” was universally known and enjoyed universal respect both in the field of sports, culture and politics, notes the Athens News Agency. Let’s see what they have said about him from the years he flourished in the stadiums until today:
“The best football player in history was Di Stefano. I refuse to classify Pele as a footballer. It was something superior.”
- Ferenc Puskas (Hungary)
“When I saw Pele play, I felt like I had to hang up my shoes”
- Gist Fontaine (France)
“Pele was the GOAT. It remained at the top for 20 years. All the rest – Maradona, Cruyff, Platini – are below. No one can compare to him”
- Franz Beckenbauer (Germany)
“There is Pele the man and Pele the footballer. When Pele plays it’s like God playing”
- Eusebio (Portugal)
“In my eyes, an artist is someone who lights up a dark room. I have not yet discovered, nor will I discover, the difference between Pele’s pass to Carlos Alberto in the 1970 World Cup final and Arthur Rimbaud’s poetry. In both, there is the human celebration, an expression of beauty that touches us and gives us the feeling of eternity”
- Eric Cantona (France)
“In some countries they wanted to touch him, in some they wanted to kiss him. In others they wanted to kiss the grass he stepped on. It was great, just great…”
- Clodoaldo (Pele’s teammate at Santos and the Brazilian national team)
The best of all time? Pele! Messi and Ronaldo are great players with specific abilities. Pele was better”
- Osvaldo Ardiles (Argentina)
“His great secret was improvisation. The things he did suddenly, in an instant. He had an incredible view of the game.”
- Carlos Alberto Torres (Pele’s teammate at Santos and the Brazilian national team)
“He was the most complete player”
- Bobby Moore (England)
“I came hoping I could stop a big player. I left convinced he was someone who wasn’t born on the same planet as us.”
- Costa Pereira (Benfica defender, after losing to Santos in the 1962 Intercontinental Cup final)
“Pele was one of the few to disprove my theory: instead of 15 minutes of publicity, he will have 15 centuries”
- Andy Warhol (USA)
“I have been a fan of Pele since I was a child. Then the conversation opened about the comparison with Maradona. For me it was always Pele”
- Sir Alex Ferguson (Scotland)
“He was the only footballer who overcame the boundaries of logic”
- Johan Cruyff (Netherlands)
“Before the fight I was telling myself that he is made of flesh and bones like all of us. I was wrong…”
- Tarcisio Burnic (Italy, scored Pele in the 1970 World Cup final)
“Sometimes I feel that football was invented for this magical player”
- Sir Bobby Charlton (England)
Malcolm Allison: “How do you spell the word PELE?”
Pat Krirant: “Easy: T.E.O.S.”
- Dialogue between two British commentators at a World Cup match in Mexico in 1970
“Pele played football for 22 years and did more to promote world friendship and brotherhood than any ambassador”
- JB Pinheiro, Brazilian Ambassador to the UN
“I am Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America. You don’t need to introduce yourself, because everyone knows who Pele is”
- Ronald Reagan in his meeting with the “king”
“The moment the ball reached Pele’s feet, football was transformed into poetry”
- Pier Paolo Pasolini (Italian poet and director)
“Literally everyone wanted to shake his hand, take a picture with him. To say that you were at a party with Pele was the greatest honor.”
- Mick Jagger (English rock star)
“Watching him play was the combination of the brilliance of a child with the exquisite grace of a complete man”
- Nelson Mandela
Source: News Beast
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
