Pele passes away at 82: Pele's funeral and burial to take place in hometown Santos, Read more here

Brazil football legend Pele passed away at the age of 82 after a long battle with cancer. His daughter Kely Nascimento informed the world about the sad news that brought reactions and tributes from world over including Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar. Pele was known by many nicknames such as 'The Black Pearl' and 'The King'. He remains the only player in history of the sport to win the FIFA World Cup three times. After his passing, his funeral is expected to be attended by thousands of his fans in Brazil. He passed away in a hospital n Brazil but his funeral will take place at Vila Belmiro Stadium, where he started his football career for his club Santos. His funeral will be held on Monday and Tuesday.

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Pele, whose original name was Edson Arantes do Nascimento, will be remembered by a billion fans, some of them are in India where he played one match. Santos said the coffin carrying the three-time World Cup champion will leave Albert Einstein hospital in Sao Paulo early Monday morning and will be placed in the center circle of the field.

Visitation will start Monday at 10 a.M. And finish the next day at the same time.

A inspiracao e o amor marcaram a jornada de Rei Pele, que faleceu no dia de hoje.

Amor, amor e amor, para sempre.
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Inspiration and love marked the journey of King Pele, who peacefully passed away today.

Love, love and love, forever. pic.twitter.com/CP9syIdL3i— Pele (@Pele) December 29, 2022

Pele's casket will be carried through the streets of Santos and will pass in front of the home of his 100-year-old mother, Celeste. Recent reports in Brazilian media say Pele's mother cannot leave her bed and is not lucid. The burial will take place at the Memorial Necropolis Ecumnica, a vertical cemetery in Santos. Only family will attend. Pele  has a home in Santos, where he lived most of his life. He spent his last years in the city of Guaruja.

Pele had a colon tumor removed in September 2021. Neither his family nor the hospital have said whether it had spread to other organs. He returned to the Albert Einstein hospital on November 29 with COVID-19 and a respiratory infection. Last week, the hospital said in a statement his cancer had advanced. Pele led Brazil to World Cup victory in 1958, 1962 and 1970 and remains one of the team's all-time leading scorers with 77 goals.

With PTI inputs