Brazilian soccer legend Pele was buried at his final resting place on Tuesday as his nation of more than 200 million and the world watched.
Newly installed president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva paid his respects to the Vila Belmiro, the stadium where Pele spent most of his career.
Pele was buried in Santos, the city where he grew up, rose to fame and helped make his sport a global capital.
Mass was celebrated at the Vila Belmiro stadium before the coffin was carried through the streets of Santos to a nearby cemetery.
Geovana Sarmento, 17, waited in the three-hour line to see Pele’s body as he lay at rest. She came with her father, who was wearing a Brazil shirt with Pele’s name on it.
“I’m not a Santos fan, neither is my father,” she said. “But this guy invented the Brazil national team. He made Santos stronger, he made it big, how not to respect him? He’s one of the greatest people ever, we had to honor him.”
Caio Zalke, 35, an engineer, wore a Brazil jersey as he waited in line. “Pele is the most important Brazilian of all time. He made sport important to Brazil and he made Brazil important to the world,” he said.
In the 1960s and 70s, Pele was perhaps the most famous athlete in the world.
He’s met presidents and queens, and a civil war in Nigeria was suspended to see him play.
Many Brazilians credit him with putting the country on the world stage for the first time.
Rows of jerseys featuring Pele’s No. 10 were placed behind one of the gates, blowing in the city’s summer breeze. Part of the stands filled with bouquets laid by mourners and sent from around the world by clubs and star players – Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo among them – while a song called Eu sou Pele (“I am Pele”) recorded by Pele himself.
The crowd was mostly local, although some came from afar. Many mourners were too young to ever see Pele play.
The mood was upbeat as people poured out of the stadium into local bars wearing Santos FC and Brazil shirts.
Claudio Carranca, 32, a salesman, said: “I’ve never seen him play, but the love for Pele is a tradition that goes from father to son in Santos. I’ve seen his story, I’ve seen his goals and I see how important Santos FC is. He’s important. I know some Santos fans have kids who support other teams. But that’s only because they’ve never seen Pele in action. If they did, they would feel the gratitude that I feel now.”
Among those at the stadium was Pele’s best friend Manoel Maria, also a former Santos player.
“If I had all the wealth in the world, I could never repay what this man did for me and my family,” Maria said. “He was a great man as well as a player; the greatest of all time. His legacy will live on for all of us. And you can see that in this long line of people of all ages here.”
FIFA President Gianni Infantino told journalists that every country should name a stadium after Pele.
“I’m here with a lot of emotions, sadness, but also with a smile because he gave us so many smiles,” Infantino said. “As FIFA we will pay tribute to the ‘King’ and we ask the whole world to observe a minute of silence.”
Another fan and friend in line was Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Gilmar Mendes.
“It’s a very sad moment, but we are now seeing the true importance of this legendary player to our country,” Mendes told reporters. DVDs, photos, a large collection of his.”
Pele has been in treatment for colon cancer since 2021.
The medical center where he was hospitalized said he died of multiple organ failure as a result of the cancer.
Pele led Brazil to World Cup titles in 1958, 1962 and 1970 and remains one of the all-time top scorers with 77 goals.
Neymar equaled Pele’s record during this year’s World Cup in Qatar.