SAO PAULO - Tributes poured in from across Brazil and beyond Friday for football legend Pele, as the country held three days of mourning for the player widely regarded as the greatest of all time after his death at age 82.
Emotional Brazilians flocked to the Sao Paulo hospital where “O Rei” (The King) died Thursday, and to the Vila Belmiro stadium in Santos, the city where he played most of his career -- and where his wake will be held Monday. That will be followed on Tuesday by what is expected to be a massive funeral procession through the southeastern city, then a private burial ceremony. President Jair Bolsonaro declared three days of national mourning through Saturday, as condolences flooded in from football superstars, global dignitaries and fans from all walks of life. In Pele’s home town,
The southeastern city of Tres Coracoes, house painter Marcelo Cazone proudly brandished an autographed picture of himself as a boy with Pele, which he snagged by cutting school to follow his idol around the city in the 1980s.
“I treasure it to this day,” he told AFP. “His death is devastating for this whole town, for all of Brazil, for the entire world.
” In Santos, 46-year-old Caroline Fornari was among those who flocked to the stadium where Pele first dazzled the world. “He’s part of our history. My father was a huge fan, he talked about him from the time i was little.
