Large crowd pays final respect to football king Pele

Santos: An emotional wake for football superstar Pele was held in the same stadium where he first astounded the world with his breathtaking brilliance as Brazil started to pay its final tributes to him on Monday.

Numerous football officials and supporters slowly made their way into the Vila Belmiro, the longstanding home of Pele's team, Santos, throughout the course of the day.

As dusk came, more people joined the line and waited their turn to pass the body of "O Rei" (The King), which lay in the middle of the field.

The flags of Santos and Brazil were placed over Pele's coffin, which was also encircled by white flowers, some of which were bouquets from Real Madrid or Neymar, the current star of Brazil, whose father was present.

According to local media, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his wife also sent a wreath.

Less than 48 hours after taking office, Lula's administration made an earlier announcement that he will visit the wake on Tuesday morning to "pay his respects and tribute" before the funeral procession and burial later that day.

Pele, a three-time World Cup champion who was largely regarded as the best player in football history, passed away on Thursday at the age of 82 after a battle with cancer.

Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, said the body would request that all of its member nations name a stadium in Pele's honour. Infantino attended the wake alongside the leaders of the South American and Brazilian football confederations.

"Pele is eternal. He's a global icon of football," he told journalists in Santos, a southeastern port city 75 kilometres from Sao Paulo.

To honour their hero, Carlos Mota and his 12-year-old son Bernardo travelled more than 500 miles from Rio de Janeiro.

"My whole childhood was influenced by what Pele did for Brazil, by his World Cup wins. He was a national idol," Mota, 59, told AFP.

"I've always told my son, there are three indisputable facts: the ball is round, the grass is green and Pele is the greatest of all time."

Bernardo clearly took the lesson to heart.

"I never saw Pele play, but I've seen the videos. He's the greatest player who ever walked the Earth," he said.

Vera Lucia, a 75-year-old retired woman who had travelled from Sao Paulo, was likewise braving the sun to stand in the early afternoon queue that spanned two kilometres.

"I'm just devastated," she said. "We always loved watching his matches as a family."