Brazilians begin to pay their last respects to football legend Pele, starting today, Monday, in a 24-hour open funeral at the stadium of his most famous club, Santos.

The club's stadium, nicknamed "Pixie" and located on the Atlantic Ocean, witnesses a huge influx of fans looking to honor the "king" of football, after his death at the age of 82 last Thursday, following a long struggle with cancer.

Pele's farewell ceremony begins

The body of the only player to win the World Cup 3 times will be displayed in the center of the stadium.

The black and white stadium is known as "Villa Belmero", after the name of the neighborhood in which it is located, and it can accommodate 16,000 people.

In the stands, 3 giant banners were seen on Sunday, one of which had a picture of Pele wearing the famous No. 10 shirt, and written on another, “Long live the king,” and on the third, “Pele 82 years old.”

Officials said entry to the stadium would be allowed until 10 a.m. on Tuesday.

As coroas estão sendo separadas entre arquibancadas eo toldo em que a família se posicionará.

Algumas levas de coroa chegam neste momento #PlacarUOL pic.twitter.com/RZIXxJzCq8

- Gabriela Arantes Brino (@gabbsbrino) January 2, 2023

After that, the procession will take place through the streets of Santos, a port city 75 km from the state capital, Sao Paulo, and will pass the home of Celeste Arantes, Pele's 100-year-old mother, although she is unaware of the death of her son.

Pele's sister, Maria Lucia do Nascimento, told ESPN on Friday that her mother "doesn't know. She's not conscious."

The procession will end at a cemetery in Santos, where Pele will be buried in a private mausoleum.

Edson Arantes do Nascimento, who was later called Pele at stardom, was described by many football fans as the best player in the history of the game, and hundreds of thousands of people cared about his death, as Brazil held a national mourning for 3 days.

Pele scored 1,283 goals in a 21-year career, most of them with Santos.

Wreaths of flowers left by his fans bring a splash of color to Villa Belmero, which is home to two busts, one bust showing his face, and one full of the football prodigy.

Elsewhere in the city, banners with Pele's face adorn another memorial to him, one of which reads, "I loved the world with the ball at my feet."

And at the headquarters of the Brazilian Football Confederation in Rio de Janeiro, a giant poster with a picture of Pele bears the word "eternal".

At the inauguration ceremony of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Sunday, the ceremony began with a minute of silence in memory of Pele.

6h33: 87 pessoas na fila.

Velório de Pelé seráberto ao publico at 10h.

pic.twitter.com/kSYObbHHVV

- Lucas Musetti Perazolli (@lucas_musetti) January 2, 2023

The military police in the state of Sao Paulo, where the digital screens placed in the streets saluted the historic player, said that there would be a "wide" deployment of its elements to coincide with the occasion.

Security will be beefed up at Congonhas Airport in Sao Paulo ahead of the expected arrival of crowds of athletes, politicians, dignitaries and fans for the funeral.

Pele was admitted to Albert Einstein Hospital for a month, until his death on December 29.

Circumstances of Pele's death

His sister recounted, "We were with him on December 21. It was very quiet, we talked a little bit, but I really felt that he was feeling it, and he already knew that he was leaving."

Born on October 23, 1940, Pele grew up selling peanuts on the street to help his poor family.

He got his famous nickname after he mispronounced "Bile", the name of a goalkeeper at Vasco de São Lourenço, where his father previously played.

Pele burst onto the football scene at the age of fifteen, when he started playing professionally with Santos.

At the age of only seventeen, he helped Brazil win the World Cup in 1958, and then also crowned the precious Cup in 1962 and 1970.

His last World Cup appearance was the pinnacle of his career, as he played the role of hero in a team considered by many to be the greatest team of all time.

Pele was in a fragile state of health in recent years, but he remained active on social media, as he was encouraging Brazil at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and he expressed his condolences to his country after being eliminated from the quarter-finals just 3 weeks before his death.