Pele, vigil for 230,000 people. The procession through the streets of Santos, the burial

The match is over. Pele rest in peace. In the 24 hours of vigil Santos stopped to honor the myth of him. Although he was born in Três Corações, state of Minas Gerais, in the city where he will rest for eternity, Edson Arantes do Nascimento has had fame and fortune and has become the best known Brazilian of all time in the world.

lula

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One of the last visits to the body was by Lula, the new president of Brazil. Lula arrived in São Paulo, the capital of the state of the same name, by plane. Then he moved by helicopter to Santos, where he landed at the stadium of Portuguesa Santista, another football club in the municipality. From there he went to Vila Belmiro, Santos’ stadium, for the vigil. Arriving around 9 local time (13 Italian time), the president, together with his wife Janja, greeted the family and attended the prayers celebrated by Catholic priests. He stayed 23 minutes in the tent where the coffin was: “Whoever sees Pelé now is not the president but a fan of Corinthians (rival team of Santos, ed). It seemed that Pelé had an obsession with beating Corinthians”, recalling ironically the many defeats of his team against O Rei’s Santos. Lula also talked about what Pele represents: “He symbolizes all that is the rise of the human species. He was a humble citizen and he always spoke the same way to everyone. It was the same when he gave an interview or met a child on the street to chat. We all owe a little to Pelé and Brazil owes him a lot”.

BALD

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Although in Brazil, in addition to the national team, he distinguished himself more with the shirts of Guarani and San Paolo, Careca also played for Santos, his favorite team when he was a kid. The former Napoli champion went to pay his last respects to the football genius. Careca recalled the friendship between the two families: “My father (Antônio Oliveira, ed) played together with Dondinho (father of Pelé, who has already passed away, ed) in Bauru (state of São Paulo, ed). I’m here to say hello We will meet one day.”

MOTHER HOUSE

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Shortly after 10 local time, the black coffin with silver ornaments left the tent set up in the middle of the Vila Belmiro field and was carried to an open fire brigade car on a tour of Santos. It is estimated that around 230,000 people visited the body during the vigil. On the way, the body passed in front of the pension where O Rei lived as a boy of less than 16 years when he moved to the homonymous club in the city. The streets were crowded, but the climax of the procession was at Canal 6 – the seaside city is also full of canals – where Celeste, 100 years old, mother of Pelè lives. During the prayer at the Santos stadium, one of the priests could be heard asking the family: “Do you already know?” “More or less,” someone replied. Maria Lúcia, Pelé’s sister who lives with her mother thanks the applause of the very excited audience, greeting the audience from the terrace. The procession sometimes takes on a stadium feel. “Pele, Pele,” the fans shout. “Santos, Santos”, is another chorus of the faithful. A few days earlier, Maria Lúcia had said on TV that her mother still did not know about the death of her son. An emotion for many. One of the firefighters can also be seen in the car in which the crying body travels. It’s a four-hour procession to the final destination.

MAUSOLEUM

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Pele’s wish was not fully fulfilled. The body is buried – if one can say so, given that the funeral took place in a vertical cemetery and not underground – in the Memorial Necrópole Ecumênica, as he had chosen himself, but not exactly where he had asked, on the ninth floor where he sees the Vila Belmiro from above, but in a mausoleum on the first level of the building. The administration of the Memorial wants to make the place a tourist attraction where in just over a week, after the mourning is over, everyone will be able to visit the famous tomb. The family has given the green light. In a ceremony restricted to relatives and closest people Pele was finally ensconced in his final resting place.