Pele’s coffin was cheered on the streets of Santos after being carried out of his beloved stadium as thousands of mourners, including new President Lula, turned out to pay their respects to the Brazilian football icon.
Crowds of fans, motorcyclists and drivers honked their horns and tried to touch the fire truck carrying the coffin during the procession from Vila Belmiro Stadium to the burial site, past the beach and the home of Pele’s 100-year-old mother.
Visibly moved at the open-coffin service this morning, the new President and his First Lady, Rosangela ‘Janja’ da Silva, paused in front of the coffin, which was draped in the flags of Brazil and Santos, and hugged Pele’s grieving widow, while they held a minute’s silence for the three-time World Cup winner also took place.
An estimated 230,000 people queued for hours ahead of today’s procession and service to visit his open coffin after one of the world’s greatest footballers of all time died at the age of 82 on December 29 after a long battle with cancer.
Pele’s coffin was cheered on the streets of Santos after being carried out of his beloved Santos stadium
Crowds of fans, bikers and motorists honked their horns and tried to touch the fire engine with the black coffin
Pele’s coffin was carried out of his beloved Santos Stadium after thousands of mourners, including new President Lula, turned out to pay his respects
A grieving mourner cries as Pele’s coffin passes her during today’s procession to the private funeral
Pictured: Brazil’s new President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva comforts Pele’s widow at the Soccer Stars guard on Tuesday in Santos, Brazil
Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (left) greets late Brazilian soccer legend Pele’s son Edinho (right) during his wake January 3 at the Urbano Caldeira stadium in Santos
The black coffin was draped with the flags of Brazil and Santos as it was carried through the streets on the back of a fire truck
Tens of thousands of fans, political leaders and football dignitaries, including FIFA President Gianni Infantino, have marched through the stadium since the wake began on Monday morning
The woman in the Santos shirt couldn’t control her emotions as Brazil continues to mourn the loss of one of its most famous sons
Fans threw white petals during the emotional procession through the streets of his youth club Santos
Lula and First Lady Rosangela “Janja” da Silva paused in front of Pele’s coffin and hugged his widow and other family members
Lula, who took office on Sunday in a ceremony that began with a minute’s silence for Pele, traveled to the southeastern city of Santos to pay his respects to family and friends
Fans fill the streets holding up Pele football shirts to pay tribute to their legendary star
More than 150,000 people, including President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, paid their respects to Brazilian soccer star Pelé in the coastal city of Santos
Pele’s coffin was carried out of the stadium this morning by pallbearers dressed in black
The coffin was wrapped in the flags of Santos and Brazil as it was carried through the crowd in Santos today
Many were decked out in Santos colors to honor the club’s hero, while the streets were filled with crowds of mourners
A vicar wearing a dog collar and shirt bearing multiple images of Pele throughout his football career greets the procession
Mourners began paying their respects to Pele in a solemn procession past his coffin at Vila Belmiro Stadium in his hometown of Santos on Monday.
Pelé’s coffin was placed on the Santos pitch, where he scored some of the best goals of his career. Thousands of mourners wearing Pele shirts and flags walked past his coffin at the 16,000-seat stadium outside Sao Paulo.
Vila Belmiro was adorned with Brazilian flags and No. 10 jerseys, which became popular after Pele started wearing them for Santos and Brazil.
The stands filled with bouquets placed by mourners and sent from around the world by clubs and star players – including Neymar and Ronaldo – while speakers played a song called Eu Sou Pele (I Am Pele), recorded by the Brazilian himself .
Fans waited in three-hour lines that snaked around the Urbano Caldeira stadium to see his coffin on the pitch’s center circle.
The black coffin was carried out of the stadium in a small vehicle before being transferred to a fire engine for the procession
Pelé will be buried on Tuesday in the city where he grew up, rose to fame and helped make him a world football capital
Fans of the late Brazilian soccer star Pele watch from windows as a fire engine transports Pele’s coffin to the Santos Memorial Cemetery
As the procession passed the beach, some dressed in bikinis and swimming trunks came out to pay their respects to the legendary footballer
People pray outside the home of Brazilian soccer star Pele’s mother during his funeral procession
Pele will be taken to the funeral at a nearby cemetery for close friends and family at 5 p.m.
The three-time world champion has reportedly chosen a special mausoleum at a ninth-floor burial site in a nearby cemetery from which to guard the stadium.
Former Brazil midfielder Ze Roberto and Pele’s son Edinho were among those who placed his coffin on the pitch during a ceremony before fans and well-wishers were allowed to pay their respects.
Brazil’s government declared three days of national mourning after Pele’s death.
Lula took office on January 1, beginning his third term as President of Brazil.
One of Lula’s first decisions in office was to repeal the policies of Jair Bolsonar’s far-right government that diluted environmental protections and contributed to deforestation, which rose to a 15-year high, including a measure that encouraged mining on protected indigenous lands .
Lula also reopened the Amazon fund.
Mass was celebrated at the Vila Belmiro stadium before his coffin was paraded through the streets of Santos to a nearby cemetery
The funeral procession through Santos passes by the home of Pele’s mother, 100-year-old Celeste Arantes, who is still alive
The massive funeral procession ends in a cemetery, where what is widely considered the greatest player of all time is buried in a private ceremony
Brazil’s new President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (pictured, center) visited Pele’s open coffin on Tuesday in one of his first acts as the country’s new head of state
The Brazilian star died on December 29 at the age of 82 after a long battle with cancer and was mourned on Monday and Tuesday at the stadium of his longtime club Santos, where thousands of people turned out to bid him farewell. Pictured: Pele’s son Edinho is pictured with mourners as the body of Brazilian soccer legend Pele is seen in his coffin while lying on the pitch of his former club Santos’ Vila Belmiro Stadium
Soccer fans line up to attend the funeral of the late Brazilian soccer legend Pele at the Vila Belmiro stadium in Santos, Brazil early Tuesday, January 3
Pictured: Pele of Brazil celebrates victory after winning the 1970 World Cup in Mexico