'He is one of the greatest people ever, we needed to honor him.”
People wait in line to enter Vila Belmiro stadium where Pele, the late Brazilian soccer great lies in state in Santos, Brazil, Monday, Jan. 2, 2023. Forty-five years after Pelé played his last game, it's hard to imagine modern soccer, or Brazil, without him.
Pelé will be buried Tuesday in the city where he grew up, became famous, and helped make into a global capital of soccer. A Catholic Mass will be celebrated at the Vila Belmiro stadium before his casket is ushered through the streets of Santos to a nearby cemetery. Caio Zalke, 35, an engineer, wore a Brazil shirt as he waited in line. “Pelé is the most important Brazilian of all time. He made soccer important for Brazil and he made Brazil important for the world,” he said.
The crowd was mostly local, although some came from far away. Many mourners were too young ever to have seen Pelé play. The mood was light, as people filtered out of the stadium to local bars, wearing Santos FC and Brazil shirts.
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