Near Sao Paulo, the city of Santos. This is where Edson Arantes do Nascimento began his career in 1956 and left his mark on football history forever. For 18 years, Pelé remained faithful to Santos FC, playing more than 650 matches. It is in this city of 400,000 inhabitants that a mass was held this Friday in the museum which traces the career of the triple world champion (1958, 1962, 1970), who died on December 29, 2022 at the age of 82.
The “King” rests in this city, in a mausoleum visited by thousands of admirers since its inauguration in May. The club, the only one in Brazil where Pelé played, published a video to commemorate the date and a photo accompanied by this caption: “A year without Edson, but Pelé is eternal”.
December 29, 2022. The date that no one would like to remember, but that should be revered. The world cried for a man and immortality became real. Symbol of genius, excellence, perfection. The history marked by 1,116 games, 1,091 goals, 45 titles for… pic.twitter.com/MAL7Txj0Fk
— Santos FC (@SantosFC) December 29, 2023
In another video, we see one of Pelé’s seven children, Edinho, releasing a dozen white balloons into the sky from the Santos stadium. In Rio de Janeiro, a ceremony was also held at the site of the statue of Christ the Redeemer, illuminated at nightfall in the colors of Brazil’s jersey bearing Pelé’s number 10, and during which a message from Pope Francis has been read.
“The memory of the King of football remains indelible in the minds of many and pushes new generations to consider sport as a means of bringing people together,” the Argentine pope wrote in his letter. A religious ceremony also took place in the town of Tres Coraçoes, in the state of Minas Gerais. The city in which Pelé was born on October 23, 1940.
On Friday, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) published an article in homage to the “greatest of all time”, emphasizing that his name had been given to several stadiums, including seven outside Brazil. Fifa also paid tribute to the “King” on social networks: “A year ago we said goodbye to a legend,” she wrote.
