His disappearance shocked his millions of fans… For a month, Pelé, legend of Brazilian football, was hospitalized in Sao Paulo, Brazil. While suffering from heart failure, he died at the age of 82 from colon cancer. If these relatives, including her daughter, Kely, were present until the end, her mother, Dona Celeste, did not see her son on his deathbed and would not know that he died. Asked by Brazilian television, Pelé’s sister, Maria Lucia do Nascimento, said: “She doesn’t know, we talked, but she doesn’t know. She’s fine, but she’s in her own world (… ) Sometimes I say: ‘Dico (Pelé’s nickname, editor’s note) is like that, but let’s pray for him, don’t we, mum?’ Sometimes she opens her eyes… But she’s not conscious.”
According to Maria Lucia do Nascimento, their mother was however by his side in the hospital on Wednesday December 21, 2022. “We were there with him, he himself already felt it too. It was very calm, we talked a little. But I could see how he felt, he already knew he was going to leave. He’s very religious, he said, ‘It’s in God’s hands’. And I said, ‘It’s true, he knows the right time,'” she said. A few days before being hospitalized, the football player paid tribute to his mother on Instagram. Sunday, November 20, 2022, it was on the occasion of his 100th birthday that he wrote: “Today we celebrate 100 years of Dona Celeste’s life. From a very young age, she taught me the value of love and peace. I have more than a hundred reasons to be grateful to be his son. I share these photos with you, with great emotion to celebrate this day. Thank you for every day by your side, mom.”
Pelé: When will the footballer’s funeral take place?
Following the death of the man who was nicknamed “the king”, three days of national mourning have been declared in Brazil. In a statement, it was revealed that the wake will be held on Monday January 2, 2023 at the Urbano Caldeira stadium, Santos FC’s home ground, before he is buried the following day. We can indeed read: “The funeral wake of the greatest footballer of all time will take place at the Urbano Caldeira stadium, Vila Belmiro, where he amazed the world.” The body will leave the Albert Einstein hospital to go directly to the stadium in the early hours of Monday, January 2, and the casket will be placed in the center of the field. The public vigil is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m..”
Pelé © CYRIL MOREAU
