Home » Pele’s gilded, turf-lined tomb opens to public in Brazil

Pele’s gilded, turf-lined tomb opens to public in Brazil

A fitting resting place for “The King”: six months after his death, Brazil opened Pele’s gilded football=tirfed tomb to the public. It is a final resting place fit for “The King”: six months after the death of the man widely considered the greatest footballer of all time, Brazil opened Pele’s gilded, football-turfed tomb to the public Monday. […]

By Mimi Mfundisi
16-05-23 10:59
in Featured

A fitting resting place for “The King”: six months after his death, Brazil opened Pele’s gilded football=tirfed tomb to the public.

It is a final resting place fit for “The King”: six months after the death of the man widely considered the greatest footballer of all time, Brazil opened Pele’s gilded, football-turfed tomb to the public Monday.

Pele, who died in December 29 at age 82 after a battle with cancer, was laid to rest at the Ecumenical Memorial Cemetery in Santos, Brazil. It is a high-rise, 14-story mausoleum that holds the Guinness world record for the tallest cemetery on Earth.

Fans were greeted by two life-size golden statues of the player nicknamed “O Rei” — The King — whose remains rest inside a large golden vault displayed in the middle of a 200-square-meter (more than 2,000-square-foot) room carpeted in artificial turf.

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GLOBAL TOURIST ATTRACTION

“It surpassed my expectations. It’s a really beautiful place,” said Ronaldo Rodrigues, 44, a businessman who was first in line to visit the tomb, along with his wife.

“I hope lots of tourists will come visit and get to know a little about Pele’s story, what he represented for Santos, Brazil and the entire world.”

Born Edson Arantes do Nascimento, Pele is the only player in history to win three World Cups (1958, 1962 and 1970).

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He scored a world record 1,281 goals during his more than two-decade career with Santos (1956-74), the New York Cosmos (1975-77) and the Brazilian national team.

pele golden tomb
The son of late Brazilian football star Pele, Edson Cholbi Nascimento, poses for a picture while visiting the mausoleum where his father’s coffin rests, at the Ecumenical Necropolis Memorial cemetery in Santos, Brazil on May 15, 2023. – In the 200 m² space, which was opened for visitation today, the public will be able to see a simulation of Santos’ fans on the walls, the floor with synthetic grass and a bluish ceiling above the tomb, which is golden and has images of remarkable moments of the career of the Athlete of the Century, who died at the age of 82 on December 29, 2022. (Photo by NELSON ALMEIDA / AFP)

In tears, Pele’s son Edinho told reporters who flocked to the southeastern port city that the family was still struggling to cope with their loss.

“But we’re also very proud and happy at all the affection and reverence that’s kept pouring in,” he said.

For now, entries to the tomb are limited to 60 people a day, via a sign-up form on the cemetery’s website.

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HISTORICAL DETAILING

Topped with a cross, Pele’s golden vault has black etchings on its sides depicting his 1,000th goal and his famous raised-fist goal celebration. The room is wallpapered with images of fans in a football stadium.

The resort-like cemetery also features an auto museum that now includes the Mercedes Benz S-280 the company gave Pele in 1974 to commemorate his 1,000th goal.

pele golden tomb
View of the mausoleum where the coffin of late Brazilian football star Pele rests, at the Ecumenical Necropolis Memorial cemetery in Santos, Brazil on May 15, 2023. – In the 200 m² space, which was opened for visitation today, the public will be able to see a simulation of Santos’ fans on the walls, the floor with synthetic grass and a bluish ceiling above the tomb, which is golden and has images of remarkable moments of the career of the Athlete of the Century, who died at the age of 82 on December 29, 2022. (Photo by NELSON ALMEIDA / AFP)

“It’s a place that’s rich in detail, all lovingly assembled in tribute, as the ‘King’ deserves,” cemetery manager Paulo Campos told AFP.

The mausoleum sits less than a kilometer (0.6 mile) from the Vila Belmiro, the stadium where Pele played most of his storied career.

© Agence France-Presse

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Tags: Brazil featured Pele Soccer legend