RÍO DE JANEIRO, 3 En. (DPA/EP) –
The body of former Brazilian soccer player Edson Arantes do Nascimento ‘Pelé’ was transferred this Tuesday through the port city of Santos in a funeral procession, after receiving the visit of nearly 150,000 fans and, among others, the new Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The coffin was deposited on the roof of a fire truck and was accompanied by several police vehicles. On both sides of the road, thousands of people cheered and waved flags for Santos, Pelé’s lifelong club. The procession passed through the neighborhood where Pele’s 100-year-old mother lives.
Earlier, the newly elected president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, was among the more than 150,000 supporters and personalities, in the case of FIFA president Gianni Infantino, mourners who paraded alongside the coffin.
Lula attended the wake at the Santos stadium and said goodbye to the three-time world champion, who was deposited there this Monday after his death last Thursday at the age of 82.
Lula hugged Pelé’s son, Edinho, and his widow, Marcia Aoki, and said a prayer with other family members and friends at the coffin. Lula was sworn in on Sunday as the new Head of State of the largest country in Latin America, a position he had already held between 2003 and 2010.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino attended on Monday but has been heavily criticized on social media for taking a selfie near the coffin.
This Tuesday, Pelé’s body will be buried in the apartment block of the Memorial Necrópole Ecumênica cemetery, where the family owns a pantheon, along with another 16,000 coffins spread over 14 floors.
Edson Arantes do Nascimento is considered the greatest footballer in history and remains the only one to have won three World Cup trophies.