The emotion is strong around the Vila Belmiro de Santos stadium where thousands of people gathered on Monday, January 2, to pay a last tribute to "King" Pelé, football legend who died on December 29.

To be among the first to see the coffin, some supporters did not hesitate to arrive 24 hours in advance, even if it meant sleeping in front of the main door of the enclosure.

Benhur and Lusien arrived a few hours before the opening to the public.

The couple, who live in Sao Paulo, took their place in the "only" line at 7 a.m.

For the two fans of Santos FC and Pelé (who call themselves "eternal santistas"), it was unthinkable not to be there.

"I feel like I'm doing my duty to be here to say goodbye to him," said Benhur, 55.

"Santos is a family story. We pass on the passion from generation to generation. I got it from my father and I gave it to my son. And it's all thanks to Pelé. He even inspired Santos' anthem. Everyone who loves football should come here to pay their respects."

From Sao Paulo, they came to pay homage to the legend Pelé.

© Romain Houeix, France 24

"I saw Pelé play. I remember the day he scored his thousandth goal as if it were yesterday. There are no two like him. Only those who have seen play who can understand our emotion," continues Lusien, a 64-year-old native of Santos.

"My mother had seven children and they are all Santos fans. I couldn't miss this last tribute. Pelé is the 'king', he is the myth. Pelé is eternal."

>> To read also: "It was Brazil": before Pelé's funeral wake, his stronghold of Santos remembers

In the long line that stretches for hundreds of meters, many have come with their families.

The opportunity for fathers and mothers to present the hero of their childhood to their own descendants.

From time to time, songs and dances break out while street vendors offer souvenir T-shirts or fresh water from huge coolers.

#PeleEterno There are already many people around the Vila Belmiro de #Santos stadium to attend the funeral wake of the king #Pele #F24 this @cedferreira pic.twitter.com/v0I1JkrSWC

— Romain Houeix (@RHoueix) January 2, 2023

"It was unthinkable not to be there. It's the best in the world!" Exclaims Bruno, a 23-year-old student born in Santos, who came to place a rose on the coffin.

"And all my family will come too after their day's work."

The stadium decorated by the "torcidas"

The coffin of the "king" arrived in the early morning, a little before six o'clock.

The body left Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo in a black hearse.

At Santos, he was greeted with chants and fireworks from supporters before being placed in the center of the stadium, on the lawn.

#PeleEterno Pelé supporters begin to enter the stadium to pay their last respects to the football legend #F24 pic.twitter.com/FouaQPPUVB

— Romain Houeix (@RHoueix) January 2, 2023

At 10 a.m., Gate 1 finally opens to let the public in.

Calmly, people walk along the barriers, passing near huge funeral wreaths, commensurate with the myth that Pelé was, sent by football stars.

The stadium was entirely decorated by the "torcidas", the groups of supporters.

Inside the stadium, everything is ready for the tribute.

the stands were decorated by the Torcidas, the groups of supporters and the coffin rests in the middle of the lawn where Pelé shone so much #PeleEterno #F24 pic.twitter.com/9oWTxa6uJX

— Romain Houeix (@RHoueix) January 2, 2023

Fans can only approach within a few feet of the coffin, however.

Enough distance to send a flower, get goosebumps, or feel the tears welling up.

And to think that the "king" is really gone...

To access the coffin, you must be a member of the family or relatives.

Or be a personality and therefore arrive on the lawn through a VIP entrance.

The spectacle is striking from the stands.

On one side, the people's procession in football jerseys, condemned to stroll under a crushing sun;

on the other, the parade of the privileged in suits and ties, who can stop and gather in the shade.

An aberration when the "king" is praised by all, especially for its simplicity and accessibility.

In this special line, the president of Fifa, Gianni Infantino, is one of the first to come to greet the remains of the only man to have won the World Cup three times.

"Pelé is eternal," he told reporters, using the Brazilians' slogan, before adding with a touch of demagoguery: "I'm going to ask for a stadium to bear his name in every country in the world."

Tears at supporters HQ

The fans come out through door number 7. Just opposite is the "Brotherhood of the German" bar, a must-see place for Santos supporters.

The "torcidas" preferred to wait here before going to pay homage to the "rei".

And animate the vigil by waving huge banners, snatching smiles after the emotion felt inside the enclosure.

Others are leaning in the shop, browsing the thread of their memories of Pelé and wondering about the absence of Neymar, whose presence was however announced by the media: "He should be there. If Pelé was the ' king 'of Santos, Neymar is the prince", assures one of them.

The Parisian will ultimately be represented by his father.

Groups of Santos supporters take turns at the end of the wake to wave banners pic.twitter.com/cwEJRmQfMx

— Romain Houeix (@RHoueix) January 2, 2023

A man has tears in his eyes when he recalls the three times he met Pelé.

A hug given by the star in the 1980s, a riot caused by his mere presence on the beach of Santos and, finally, an unlikely appearance in an elevator that had left him completely paralyzed.

"Pelé means everything to us," says Giovanni, who says he was raised in the Torcida Sangue Jovem, the most important group of supporters of the Santos club, founded on the occasion of the "king's" thousandth goal in 1969. "C "He's the banner of the city, not just of the fans. In Brazil, it doesn't matter which team you support, everyone is sensitive to the personality and what Pelé represents. Today, everyone is sad."

Another member of Torcida Sangue Jovem continues: "In the queue there are jerseys from the clubs Palmeiras, Corinthians, Botafogo... Usually it would be a fight for this affront, but today we tolerate" , he smiles, half fig, half grape.

"Because Pelé belonged to all Brazilians."

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