This Friday, Brazilians paid tribute to Pelé, on the first anniversary of his death.
Brazil pays tribute to Pelé on Friday, the first anniversary of the legendary footballer’s death, notably in Santos where his career began, in Rio de Janeiro and also on social networks.
In Santos, near São Paulo, a mass was said at the museum which traces the career of the three-time world champion (1958, 62, 70), who died on December 29, 2022 of colon cancer at the age of 82 years old.
It is in this city, where he played from 1956 to 1974, that the “King” rests, in a mausoleum visited by thousands of admirers since his inauguration in May. The club, the only one in Brazil where Edson Arantes do Nascimento played, published a video to commemorate the date and a photo accompanied by this caption: “A year without Edson, but Pelé is eternal.”
This season, the club with the white and black jersey fell to the second division for the first time in its history. The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) published an article in tribute to the “greatest of all time”, pointing out that his name had been given to several stadiums, including seven outside Brazil. Fifa marked the event with a message on social networks: “a year ago we said goodbye to a legend”. There was also a religious ceremony in Pelé’s hometown Tres Coraçoes, in the state of Minas Gerais (southeast), in the church where he was baptized.
In Rio de Janeiro, a ceremony was planned at the site of the famous Christ the Redeemer statue, during which a message from Pope Francis was to be read, organizers said.
