A funeral for Brazil legend Pele will be held on Monday at the home of his former club Santos, after the World Cup winner died at the age of 82, with president Jair Bolsonaro declaring three days of mourning after the news.
Pele, a world champion in 1958, 1962 and 1970, had been treated for colon cancer in recent years. He passed away on Thursday at the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo, and tributes have come flooding in from across the footballing world.
The forward played the bulk of his career with Santos in his homeland, scoring more than 600 times for the Brazilian side. It is there that fans will be able to pay their respects to Brazil's all-time joint-top scorer.
"The body of the greatest football player of all time will be laid to rest at Estádio Urbano Caldeira, in Vila Belmiro, where he enchanted the world," a statement from Santos read. "The body will go straight from the Albert Einstein Hospital to the Stadium at dawn on Monday (2) and the coffin will be placed in the center of the lawn. The public wake is expected to begin at 10 am."
The club shared details of how the public and press can pay their tributes, while also sharing information on a private burial, reserved for Pele's family members. The ceremony is expected to continue until Wednesday morning, with a parade passing through the streets of Santos.
"Santos FC deeply regrets the death of the best football player of all time, the man who took the name of Alvinegro Praiano to the world, our greatest idol, who immortalized the number 10 shirt and turned it into a work of art," the club announced earlier on Thursday. "Any tribute is small compared to the greatness of Edson Arantes do Nascimento, our eternal King Pelé."
Share your fondest memories of Pele's life and career in the comments section
The offices of outgoing Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro and incoming premier Luis Inacio Lula da Silva have both shared tributes. Da Silva's premiership is due to begin on January 1 after his election victory.
Bolsonaro described the footballer as "a great citizen and patriot, raising the name of Brazil wherever he went," per ESPN. His successor, meanwhile, said "few Brazilians carried the name of our country as far as he did".
Brazil star Neymar, who drew level as the Selecao's top scorer during the World Cup, paid his own moving tribute. "Before Pelé, 10 was just a number. I’ve read this phrase somewhere, at some point in my life. But this sentence, beautiful, is incomplete," he wrote.
"I would say before Pelé football was just a sport. Pelé has changed it all. He turned football into art, into entertainment He gave voice to the poor, to the blacks and especially: He gave visibility to Brazil. Soccer and Brazil have raised their status thanks to the King! He's gone but his magic remains. Pelé is FOREVER!!"
