LAUSANNE, January 2, 2023 – Pelé, whose full name was Edson Arantes do Nascimento, will be buried at the Memorial Necropole Ecumenical, a vertical cemetery in Santos with only his family present, after a public farewell ceremony where dignitaries and fans gather to pay “The King” last respects today, 2 January 2023, at the “Urbano Caldera” Stadium in Santos Municipality, São Paulo, Brazil, where Pelé played some of the best matches of his career.
The coffin that will carry Pelé’s body will be placed in the middle of the Stadium and was moved early hours of Monday morning so that the fans can take a last look at the football legend. The farewell started at 10:00am Brazil time and will last for 24 hours, the burial will be the next morning, according to info from Brazilian press.
Pelé has passed away last Thursday, at the age of 82, after battling a long illness. His death was announced by his agent, Joe Fraga.
Line of fans waiting in line to pay homage to the legend, with the tent in mid-stadium where Pelé’s remains are placed.
9TH FLOOR Pelé’s final abode will be on the 9th floor of Necropole Ecumenical Memorial Cemetery so he can ‘see’ Santos football stadium which made him legendary, this unique vertical cemetery is a 14-story building in Santos, Brazil with 14.000 vaults, a waterfalls and a car museum building also contains a chapel, lagoon, peacock garden, waterfalls, an aviary full of parrots and toucans and even a small restaurant.
Pelé spent a lot of time selecting his final ‘burial’ spot, his final wish was to be buried in his beloved hometown, Santos. He chose floor 9 to pay homage to his dear dad who always wore the Number 9 shirt as a player.
From where Pelé’s coffin will lay forever you could clearly see the iconic Santos stadium less than half a mile away. His devoted fans believe that Pelé will always be able to “see” his favourite football pitch for eternity.
The final resting place for Pelé on the 9th floor of the Memorial Necropole Ecumenical cemetery in Santos, São Paulo. The tallest vertical cemetery awarded by the Guinness World record since 1991 with 14 floors.
ETERNO The Brazilian Football Federation (CBF) has raised a huge poster of Pelé on its headquarters building in Rio de Janeiro, with the message ‘Eterno’, Portuguese for ‘Eternal’ written above it. (watch video below)
THE KING Pelé, throughout his career, from 1956 to 1974 has scored more than 1279 goals, he scored 12 goals in 14 World Cup matches and is the only three-time World Champion, winning titles in 1958, 1962 and 1970. He became one of the most commanding sports figures of the 20th century. In 1999, he was named Athlete of the Century by both the IOC and FIFA.
His 1,279 goals in 1,363 games, which includes friendlies, are recognised as a Guinness World Record. Pelé began playing for Santos at age 15 and the Brazil national team at 16. He was nicknamed O Rei (The King) following the 1958 World Cup.
