Forty-five years after Pelé played his last game, it’s hard to imagine modern soccer, or Brazil, without him.
Geovana Sarmento, 17, waited in the three-hour line to view his body as it lay in repose at the stadium where he played for most his career.
She came with her father, who was wearing a Brazil shirt with Pelé’s name.
“I am not a Santos fan, and neither is my father. But this guy invented Brazil’s national team. He made Santos stronger, he made it big, how could you not respect him? He is one of the greatest people ever, we needed to honour him,” she said.
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.
Brazil’s newly inaugurated President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who was sworn in for a third term Sunday after a comeback victory, is expected to come to Vila Belmiro shortly before the coffin is removed from the stadium.
