This can be seen in a statement from the government of President Jair Bolsonaro. – Pelé is a great citizen and patriot. He highlights the Brazilian name wherever he moves, the statement said.

The government sends its condolences to Pelé’s family and friends.

Bolsonaro, who had his last working day as president on Sunday, said he prayed to God to welcome Pelé with open arms and give strength and confidence to Pelé’s family and friends.

President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva also paid tribute to the king of football.

– Few Brazilians have taken our country’s name as far as he did, said Lula, who recalled that in his time he saw Pelé play on the pitch on two occasions.

On Monday, a 24-hour vigil will be held at the Urbano Caldeira stadium where Pelé began his career as a teenager at club Santos. On Tuesday, Pelé’s palanquin will be paraded through the neighborhood where his 100-year-old mother lives, before the day ends with a private funeral.

Praised

Pelé was praised worldwide and was widely covered in the Brazilian media after his death.

In Brazilian newspapers Folha de S. Paulo devotes most of the front page to the legend of Brazilian football. One of the titles read as follows: “Pelé is the sum of Messi and Ronaldo”.

Neymar, Brazil’s biggest current soccer star, paid his respects on social media on Thursday night.

“I would say that before Pelé, football was just a sport. Pelé changed everything. He turned football into art, into entertainment. He gave a voice to the poor, black people and above all: He gave Brazil visibility,” he wrote.

Football icon

Pelé died on Thursday after a long battle with cancer. He lived to be 82 years old.

Recently, family members gathered around the football legend at a hospital in São Paulo. Princess Kely Nascimento is among those who have spoken out about this difficult situation.

“These moments are difficult to describe. Sometimes a lot of sadness and despair, other times we laugh and talk about funny memories,” he wrote on Instagram Wednesday.

Pelé became world football champion three times (1958, 1962 and 1970). He is considered by many to be one of the world’s best footballers of all time.