London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Aug 30, 2025

Pele's coffin carried to stadium as Brazil bids farewell to football icon

Pele's coffin carried to stadium as Brazil bids farewell to football icon

The sporting hero, nicknamed "The King" because of his supreme footballing ability, died last week at the age of 82 following a long battle with colon cancer.

Thousands of football fans are saying a final farewell to Brazil football hero Pele at the home of his former club Santos.

The coffin of the three-time World Cup winner was carried to the centre circle of the Brazilian's club's Vila Belmiro stadium where he will lie in state for 24 hours.

The sporting icon, nicknamed "The King" because of his supreme footballing ability, died last week at the age of 82 following a long illness with colon cancer.

Pele played almost his entire club career at Santos, a satellite city of Sao Paulo, where he grew up.

He played 656 competitive matches for the side, helping them to numerous trophies, including six Brazilian league titles.

After lying in state at the Vila Belmiro stadium, Pele's casket will be carried through the streets of Santos to the home of his 100-year-old mother.

He will then be buried at the Memorial Necropole Ecumenical, a vertical cemetery in Santos, on Tuesday, with only his family present.

Such is Pele's influence in Brazil, and the wider footballing world, millions of people are expected to descend on Santos over the next few days.

Pictures showed fans sleeping outside the Vila Belmiro stadium overnight and lining the nearby streets to see Pele lie in state.


Fans slept outside the Vila Belmiro stadium

Thousands of fans lined up to pay their respects

One of the mourners who came to pay his respects was Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Gilmar Mendes.

"It is a very sad moment, but we are now seeing the real meaning of this legendary player to our country," Mendes told journalists.

"My office has shirts signed by Pele, a picture of him as a goalkeeper, also signed by him. DVDs, photos, a big collection of him."

Mendes also said Pele was a humble man despite his global fame, and that he deserved every tribute.

"The expectation is huge, the whole world will be here," said local fan Roberto Santos. "Pele needs no presentation. Pele for us is everything."

He added: "I'll be here all day, 24 hours, from 10am to 10am. Pele deserves it."

Fans line up during Pele's wake at the Vila Belmiro stadium


Several authorities are expected to attend the memorial, including newly sworn-in Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, a long-time Santos supporter.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino joined mourners on the pitch. FIFA will ask every country in the world to name a stadium in honour of Pele, Mr Infantino said on Monday.

He described Pele as an "exemplary sportsman" and added: "Pele had a magnetic presence and, when you were with him, the rest of the world stopped.

"His life is about more than football. He changed perceptions for the better in Brazil, in South America and across the world. His legacy is impossible to summarise in words."

Tributes were paid from across the world following his death on Thursday, while Brazil took part in three days of national mourning.

In England, commemorations were held at every Premier League football match across the weekend.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
Federal Reserve Independence Questioned Amid Trump’s Push to Reshape Central Bank
British Politics Faces Tumultuous Autumn After Summer of Rebellions and Rising Farage Momentum
US Appeals Court Rules Against Most Trump-Era Tariffs
UK Sought Broad Access to Apple Users’ Data, Court Filing Reveals
UK Bank Shares Dive Over Potential Tax on Sector
Germany’s Auto Industry Sheds 51,500 Jobs in First Half of 2025 Amid Deepening Crisis
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Argentine President Javier Milei Evacuated After Stones Thrown During Campaign Event
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Starmer Should Back Away from ECHR, Says Jack Straw
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
Chinese AI Chipmaker Cambricon Posts Record Profit as Beijing Pushes Pivot from Nvidia
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Welcome to The Definition of Insanity: Germany Edition
Just a reminder, this is Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris.
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
A new faith called Robotheism claims artificial intelligence isn’t just smart but actually God itself
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
×