Jakarta, IO – Brazilian football legend Pele, who died at age 82, is to be buried today, Tuesday (3/1) in Brazil after lying in state, reported Republika.
Since Monday (2/1), hundreds of fans have flocked to the Vila Belmiro Stadium, home to Pele’s old club Santos FC, where the coffin containing the body of “O Rei” (The King) was placed in the middle of the pitch.
Fans attended to pay their homage to the footballer before his funeral at the Memorial Necropole Ecumenical, Santos. The funeral is expected to be covered by 5,000 journalists from around the world.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino was one of those who gave tribute to Pele. He said he would ask every country to name the stadium after Pele, the only player to win the World Cup three times.
“Pele is immortal,” said Infantino. “FIFA will surely honor the ‘king’ as he deserves. We have asked all the football associations in the world to observe a minute’s silence before every game and will also ask them, 211 countries, to name their stadiums after Pele. Future generations must know and remember who Pele is,” he continued.
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Throughout his career, Pele, born Edson Arantes do Nascimento, won three World Cup tournaments with Brazilian national team and 10 league titles with Santos FC, as well as the 1977 North American Soccer League championship with the New York Cosmos. In his 21 years as a professional footballer, Pele scored 1,283 goals in 1,367 professional matches, including 77 goals for the Brazilian national team. (un)