Brazilian football legend, Pele will be buried on the ninth floor of a vertical cemetery, overlooking the Santos football pitch in his beloved home city, to honour his father who wore the No 9 shirt as a player.
Pele will be laid in the vault at the Memorial Necropole Ecumenica tomorrow Tuesday, January 3, just a mile away from the stadium that made him famous. It was reported that the Brazilian player spent a long time thinking about where he wanted to be buried before deciding on his final resting place by paying homage to his father, Dodinho.
Dodinho, who died in 1996, was a centre-forward who wore the No 9 shirt. In a mark of respect to his father, Pele chose to be buried on the ninth floor of the world’s tallest, vertical cemetery.
Mourner at the final resting place of Pele
The vertical cemetery was built in 1983 and has more than 14,000 vaults. It has a tropical garden, restaurant and even a classic car museum.
Pele’s mother Celeste turned 100 in November
Pele’s mother, Celeste, will have an opportunity to say a final goodbye to her son, after initially being tragically unaware the Brazilian legend had died.
Pele’s wake will take place at Estadio Urbano Caldeira (also known as Vila Belmiro), the home of Santos, the club where he spent the majority of his iconic playing career. After that, his coffin will travel through the streets of Santos, passing the neighbourhood of his 100-year-old mother to allow her to say goodbye.
Maria Lucia do Nascimento, Pele’s sister, cares for her mother and revealed Celeste was unaware of Pele’s death. “We talk but she doesn’t know the situation. She’s in her own world,” Maria Lucia said.
“She opens her eyes when I mention his name and say, ‘we’re going to pray for him’, but she’s not really conscious of what I’m saying.”
