Thousands of mourners have gathered to pay their respects to Brazil legend Pele who is lying in state at the ground of his former club Santos.
Pele’s coffin was placed in the centre of the pitch at the Urbano Caldeira stadium in Sao Paulo, with fans lining the streets to get inside the ground.
The three-time World Cup winner died at the age of 82 on 29 December.
There will be a procession through the streets of Santos to a private family burial on Tuesday.
“We’re going to ask every country in the world to name one of their football stadiums with the name of Pele,” said Fifa president Gianni Infantino, who attended the memorial.
Brazil’s government declared three days of national mourning after Pele’s death.
Pele, arguably the world’s greatest ever player, had been undergoing treatment for colon cancer since 2021.
Thousands of fans gathered on the streets as the hearse arrived at the stadium on Monday morning, with some queuing overnight to see the coffin.
Former Brazil midfielder Ze Roberto and Pele’s son Edinho helped carry his coffin while floral wreaths were sent by Neymar, Vinicius Junior and Real Madrid.
Beatrice woke up at six in the morning to travel with her husband from the city of Soracaba to Santos, and had been waiting for more than two hours in the queue.
“I’m determined to pay my final respects to him,” the 56-year-old told the BBC.
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