Like tens of thousands of his compatriots, Brazilian President Lula gathered on Tuesday in front of Pelé’s coffin, exposed in the Santos stadium. Officially invested two days ago, the successor to Jair Bolsonaro, who had already held the supreme office from 2002 to 2010, arrived near the stadium by helicopter in the morning. He immediately offered his condolences to Pelé’s widow when he arrived under the large awning where the coffin is displayed.
The head of state then attended a brief religious ceremony in front of the remains of Pelé, who died Thursday at the age of 82. His third wife, Marcia Cibela Aoki, dressed in black and in tears, rubbed her hand over the head of the footballer she married in 2016. Three of Pelé’s six surviving children were present. She also placed a rosary in her coffin draped with the flags of FC Santos and Brazil.
Relatives paid a moving tribute to him, holding hands around his coffin in prayer. Dozens of wreaths, sent by football personalities like Neymar or foreign clubs like Real Madrid, were placed around the coffin. He “has inspired all generations, he has always been a reference”, said the father of Neymar, the current number 10 of the Seleçao retained in Paris who equalized the number of goals of Pelé in the national team (77) during the World Cup in Qatar.
230,000 people marched for a last tribute
The parade of fans continued uninterrupted all day Monday, then all night. In total, more than 230,000 people gathered in front of the coffin of the triple world champion, according to figures sent by the military police to the Santos club.
After this funeral wake, which lasted 24 hours, the funeral procession must now cross Santos and will pass in particular in front of the house of Pelé’s mother, Celeste Arantes. Aged 100 but suffering from cognitive disorders, she is unaware of the death of her son. The remains of Pelé will then be taken to his final resting place, a mausoleum specially erected in a cemetery, for a Catholic rite ceremony in strict family intimacy.