Brazilians bid a final farewell this week to football giant Pele, starting Monday with a 24-hour public wake at the stadium of his long-time team, Santos.
The oceanside home of the team nicknamed "Peixe" - "fish" in Portuguese - is expecting a huge influx of fans looking to honor the "King" of football, who died aged 82 on Thursday after a long battle with cancer.
In the stands, three giant flags could be seen Sunday, one with an image of Pele displaying the famous number 10 on his jersey.Entry to the stadium will be allowed until 10:00 am Tuesday, officials said. "She doesn't know," Pele's sister Maria Lucia do Nascimento told ESPN on Friday. "She is not conscious."TRIBUTES TO 'ETERNAL' STAR
Silvio Neves Souza, an electrician on holiday from Sao Paulo, took a moment Sunday to visit the stadium since he will not be able to attend the official ceremony. And at the inauguration on Sunday of Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the ceremony began with a minute's silence in Pele's memory.
"We were with him" on 21 December, his sister recounted. "It was very quiet, we talked a little, but I already sensed that he was feeling it, he already knew he was leaving."
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