Pelé to Be Buried in Vertical Cemetery Overlooking Santos

Brazilian king of soccer Pelé will be buried on the ninth floor of a vertical cemetery overlooking the Santos football pitch in his home city.

The legendary footballer wanted to honor his father, Dodinho, who wore the No 9 shirt as a player.

On Tuesday, Pelé will be laid in the vault at the Memorial Necropole Ecumenica, just half a mile away from the stadium that paved his way to fame.

According to the Mirror, the coffin will be painted a special golden color.

Meanwhile, Pelé’s coffin is at Vila Belmiro Stadium, where hundreds of thousands of fans are expected to pass on Monday. Tomorrow, the coffin will be taken through a suburb of Santos where his 100-year-old mother Dona Celeste still lives.

The vertical cemetery was built in 1983 and has over 14,000 vaults. Following the funeral ceremony, the country will enter three days of national mourning.

Pelé died on 29 December after he had undergone treatment for colon cancer in 2021.

Nicknamed “The King”, Pelé won three World Cups with Brazil between 1958 and 1970. He was the only player in football history to achieve the milestone.

He scored a remarkable 77 goals in 92 games for the national team, a record that was equaled by Neymar at the 2022 World Cup.

 Contributed by Amir Haggag