Brazil said goodbye this week to the football giant Pele, starting Monday with a 24-hour public wake at the stadium of his longtime team, Santos.
The ocean home of the team nicknamed “Peixe” – “fish” in Portuguese – expected many fans to pay tribute to the “King” of football, who died at the age of 82 on Thursday after a long battle with cancer.
The stadium gates will open at 10:00 local time (1300 GMT). A casket containing the remains of the only player to win three World Cups will be displayed in the center of the pitch.
Known as Vila Belmiro after the neighborhood where it is located, this black-and-white stadium has a capacity of 16,000 people.
In the stands, three giant flags could be seen on Sunday, one with a picture of Pele featuring the famous number 10 on his jersey.
Others brought the message “Congratulations to the King”; the third just said, “Pele is 82 years old.”
Entry into the stadium will be allowed until 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, officials said.
Afterwards, a procession will be held through the streets of Santos, a port city about 75 kilometers (47 miles) from the state capital of Sao Paulo.
The parade will pass the home of Pele’s mother, 100-year-old Celeste Arantes, who was unaware that her world-famous son had died.
“He doesn’t know,” Pele’s sister Maria Lucia do Nascimento told ESPN on Friday. “He’s unconscious.”
The procession will end at the cemetery in Santos, where Pele will be buried in a special tomb.
– Tribute to the ‘immortal’ star –
Born Edson Arantes do Nascimento, Pele is considered the best player in the game.
His death sparked global outrage, with his home country of Brazil holding three days of national mourning.
He scored 1,283 goals in his 21-year career, the most while playing for Santos.
Also Read: Pele, football because we all love to kick
Wreaths of flowers left by fans have brought a splash of color to Vila Belmiro, which features a large football bust and statue.
Silvio Neves Souza, an electrician on vacation from Sao Paulo, took a moment Sunday to visit the stadium because he will not be able to attend the official ceremony.
“I’m sure a lot of people will wake up, not only old people who see him play, but also young people,” the 54-year-old said.
Elsewhere in the city, a banner with Pele’s face adorns another monument erected in his likeness.
“I love the world with the balls at my feet,” read one sign.
At the headquarters of the Brazilian Football Confederation in Rio de Janeiro, a giant poster with Pele’s image bears the words “immortal”.
And during Sunday’s inauguration of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the ceremony began with a minute’s silence in Pele’s memory.
Military police in Sao Paulo state, where digital street displays also honor the prolific striker, said there would be a “steady” deployment of posthumous tributes.
Security will be strengthened at Congonhas airport in Sao Paulo ahead of the expected arrival of throngs of athletes, politicians, dignitaries and fans to wake up.
– ‘The King’ –
Pele had been in the Albert Einstein Hospital for a month until he died on December 29.
“We are with him” on December 21, his sister said. “It was very quiet, we talked a little bit, but I already felt that he felt it, he already knew that he was leaving.”
Born on October 23, 1940, Pele sold peanuts on the street to help his poor family.
He got his famous nickname after mispronouncing Bile, the name of the goalkeeper at Vasco de Sao Lourenco, where his footballer father once played.
Pele burst onto the scene at the age of 15, when he began playing professionally with Santos.
At just 17 years old, he helped Brazil win their first World Cup, in 1958.
That was followed by World Cup titles in 1962 and 1970. The latter marked the pinnacle of his career, as he starred in what is considered the greatest team of all time.
Pele has been in increasingly fragile health in recent years.
He remained active on social media, cheering on Brazil during the World Cup in Qatar and cheering on pre-tournament favorites when they were knocked out in the quarter-finals just three weeks before his death.
Also Read: Neymar’s World Cup dream fades away again, possibly for the last time