Christ the Redeemer and the Maracana stadium were lit up Thursday evening in honor of Pele as Brazil mourned the death of football’s biggest star.
Pelé died Thursday at the age of 82 at the Albert Einstein Israelite Hospital in Sao Paulo, after a long battle with colon cancer.
Considered the greatest footballer of all time by many around the world, in his native Brazil he is praised as a divine figure.
Christ the Redeemer and the Maracana stadium were lit up Thursday night in honor of Pelé
Monuments across the country paid tribute to the great footballer as Brazil mourned his loss
Pele – widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time – has died aged 82
The nation went into mourning after losing the footballing legend, which took it to its first-ever World Cup in 1958, with many flooding the streets or at the Santos stadium to pay tribute to the king.
Pelé emerged at his club Santos and led the Brazilian team to two Intercontinental Cup titles in 1962 and 1963.
He will be buried in the Urbano Caldeira stadium, home of the football club, where a a public vigil is expected to be held.
Club supporters gathered outside the stadium to hold a vigil for the icon following news of his death on Thursday afternoon.
Pelé is football’s greatest icon, a phenomenon who started his career aged just 15 at Santos (R)
Fans of Santos, the legendary club, gathered outside the Urbano Caldeira stadium
Many watched over the footballing legend as they gathered in front of a mural of Pele outside the ground
Some supporters were seen bursting into tears and consoling themselves on the ground
Many were seen somberly holding their own tribute to Pele by a mural of the club legend painted on the side of the Urbano Caldeira stadium.
Many fans were visibly upset, with some bursting into tears and consoling themselves as they mourned football’s great loss.
Others brought huge white flags paying homage to Pelé with images of his face or him in his famous No. 10 shirt with the phrase “Pelé forever you are the king” written underneath.
Some had brought bouquets of flowers to lay on the football pitch with similar phrases on the wrapper, while others had spray painted “King Pele, idol” on the pavement to pay their respects.
The brains of the beautiful game led Brazil to three World Cup victories
A fan of Santos Football Club is angry at the mural of the Urbano Caldeira stadium
One fan cried as he wrapped his arms around another’s shoulders
Others brought white flags with his image and the phrase “Pelé forever you are the king”
Some had brought bouquets of flowers to lay on the football pitch as they paid their respects
Other supporters had spray painted “Idol King Pele” on the paving to pay their respects
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Pele has died aged 82 following his battle with colon cancer with the footballing world in mourning for the Brazilian legend
Over the past few days, Santos had changed his club badge, adding a gold crown to represent the king between the two gold stars acknowledging Intercontinental Cup titles won in his prime.
The young black from Tres Coracoes, in southern Minas Gerais, led Brazil to their first World Cup, in Sweden in 1958, aged 17.
He went on to win two more World Cups with the Selecao, first in Chile four years later and then the iconic third win in Mexico in 1970, making him the only player to win football’s top honor three times. .
Throughout his career, he scored 1,282 goals in 1,366 games, including 77 in 92 appearances for his country.
The iconic Christ the Redeemer statue, located atop Corcovado mountain above the city of Rio de Janeiro, was lit up in green and yellow, the colors of the national flag, in honor of Pele.
The roof of the Maracana stadium and its stands were also illuminated in yellow, the color of the Brazilian flag, to pay tribute to Pelé.
The outer hall surrounding the stadium was also lit green – another color of Brazil.
Meanwhile, the Sao Paulo State Federation of Industries displayed an image of the national hero on the side of its seat.
The beautiful game’s brain image was lit up with hundreds of tiny lights to display a photo of the player in his youth with a single star above his head.
Elsewhere in the world, tributes poured in as the facade of Conmebol’s headquarters in Luque, Paraguay, displayed a picture of Pele with Brazil’s national insignia.
Wembley Arch at England’s National Stadium was also lit up Thursday evening. London’s famous landmark and EnglandThe ‘homeland of football’ paid tribute to the three-time World Cup winner by lighting up the arch in Brazil’s famous green and yellow.
The Christ the Redeemer statue above Rio de Janeiro was lit up in green and yellow
The roof of the Maracana stadium and its stands were also lit in yellow, a color of the Brazilian flag.
The Federation of Industries of the State of Sao Paulo displayed an image of the national hero
The facade of the Conmebol headquarters in Luque, Paraguay, displayed a photo of Pelé
The Wembley Arch of England’s National Stadium was also lit up on Thursday night
Pelé was admitted to Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo on November 29.
He had been suffering from kidney and prostate problems since surgery to remove a tumor from his colon in September 2021.
Pele’s body will be transported from the Albert Einstein Hospital to the Urbano Caldeira stadium in Vila Belmiro at dawn on Monday and his coffin will be placed in the center of the field.
Anyone who wants to say goodbye to the ‘King of Football’ will enter through two doors and will be separated from politicians and authorities.
The ceremony will continue until 10 a.m. on Tuesday, January 3, when the parade will take place through the streets of Santos to the Ecumenical Necropolis Memorial where his burial will take place.