Pele Dies: Brazil great funeral and burial to take place in hometown of Santos

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Sao Paulo, December 30: Brazil great Pele's funeral and burial to take place in his hometown of Santos in Sao Paulo. He died on Thursday (December 29) at the age of 82 after his long battle with cancer.

As per reports, the stadium where the Brazilian legend played some of the best matches of his career will also hold his funeral on Monday (January 2) and Tuesday (January 3).

Santos, the club where Pele played in Brazil, said in a statement the public will be able to pay their final respects at Vila Belmiro Stadium in Sao Paulo.

Santos said the coffin carrying the three-time World Cup winner will leave Albert Einstein hospital in Sao Paulo early Monday (January 2) morning and will be placed in the center circle of the field.

Visitation will start Monday at 10 AM Local Time and finish 24 hours later. Pele's casket will be carried through the streets of Santos and will pass in front of the home of his 100-year-old mother, Celeste.

Later, only family will attend the burial that will take place at the Memorial Necropole Ecumenica, a vertical cemetery in Santos. Pele has a home in Santos, where he lived most of his life. He spent his last years in the city of Guaruja.

Pele had a colon tumor removed in September 2021. Neither his family nor the hospital have said whether it had spread to other organs. He returned to the Albert Einstein hospital on November 29 with COVID-19 and a respiratory infection.

Last week, the hospital said in a statement his cancer had advanced. His cause of death was later confirmed by the hospital as "died due to multiple organ failure".

Millions of tributes have been pouring in for the Brazilian great, who is regarded is one of the greatest to play the game along with the likes of late Diego Maradona and Johan Cruyff.

Pele, who led Brazil to World Cup glory in 1958, 1962 and 1970, remains one of the country's all-time leading scorers with 77 goals. Neymar equalled Pele's record during this year's World Cup in Qatar.

(With Agency inputs)