Brazilians Say Goodbye to Pelé With a 24-Hour Wake

On Monday morning, hundreds of Brazilians began to arrive at the Vila Belmiro stadium, in the city of Santos, to participate in the wake for Pelé, Edson Arantes do Nascimento, who passed away at the age of 82.

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In this stadium, where "the King" played most of his sports career at home, personalities from the world of sports such as Gianni Infantino, the president of the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) will be present.

Before the stadium doors opened to the fans who wanted to say their last goodbye to the three-time world champion, Edinho, Pelé's son, and former player Ze Roberto carried the coffin to a tent located in the center of the pitch.

While such tent will remain reserved for Pelé's relatives, another one is dedicated to the authorities of the world of football and political personalities.

As the fans entered the Vila Belmiro, a samba song called "I am Pelé", performed by the soccer idol, played from the stadium's loudspeakers.

At the stadium's stands, there are dozens of white shirts with Pelé's number 10 and huge banners reading, "Long live the King", "Pelé 82 years old", and "The only one to stop a war".

After the 24-hour wake at the stadium, a funeral procession will travel through the streets of Santos, passing through the area where Pelé's mother, Celeste Arantes, who is 100 years old, lives. Pelé will then be buried in the Ecumenical Necropolis Memorial Cemetery.