The funeral of late Brazillian legend Pele will take place inside the Santos stadium next week Monday, January 2 and Tuesday, January 3rd, 2023, where fans will have the chance to pay their final respects to the football legend.
The three-time World Cup winner, born Edson Arantes do Nascimento, died Thursday at the age of 82 after a long battle with cancer, sparking an outpouring of tributes from around the world.
His body will go straight from the Albert Einstein Hospital to Estádio Urbano Caldeira in Vila Belmiro at dawn on Monday and the coffin will be placed in the centre of the pitch. The public wake is expected to begin at 10am.
The ceremony will continue until 10am on Tuesday, January 3, 2023, when the parade will take place through the streets of Santos.
Pele had a colon tumour removed in September 2021. Neither his family nor the hospital have said whether it had spread to other organs. He returned to the Albert Einstein hospital on November 29 with Covid-19 and a respiratory infection.
Daughter Kely Nascimento confirmed his passing with a social media post that said: ‘Everything we are is thanks to you. We love you infinitely. Rest in peace.’
In his playing career, he scored 1,282 goals in 1,366 games during a 21-year career, which included 77 in 92 appearances for his country.
Pele is the only player to win the World Cup three times, lifting the trophy in 1958, 1962, and 1970. In 2000, he was named Player of the Century by Fifa.
