FOOTBALL legend Pele has seen his tomb opened up for public visitation.
The Brazil icon died at the age of 82 on December 29 after a battle with cancer, with thousands of mourners lining the street to bid farewell.
He was given a burial fit for a king, with the three-time World Cup winner being laid to rest in a golden casket in the world’s tallest cemetery after a public funeral at Santos’ stadium in January.
On Monday his mausoleum on the second floor of the 14-storey tall Ecumenical Memorial Cemetery in Santos, Brazil, was opened up to the public.
Fans are welcomed to the cemetery with two life-size golden statues of Pele at the door.
Both of the statues are flanked by the flags of Brazil and Santos.
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After stepping inside, fans will feel artificial grass in substitute for a carpet.
The walls of the 200-square-metre space are also plastered with images of fans in a stadium, with a soundtrack of cheers also being heard.
Even the ceiling is not void of a decorative touch, with a sky blue colouration.
But it is the centre of the room which marks the most striking feature – Pele’s golden vault.
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The centre-piece is topped with a cross and has black etchings on the side which depict his 1000th goal and iconic raised-fist celebration.
Pele’s son Edson Cholbi do Nascimento told reporters: “This was made with a lot of love by people who knew him, who lived with him. It has the essence of what he was.”
One of the firsts fan in line to visit, 44-year-old businessman Ronaldo Rodrigues, told Citizen Digital: “It surpassed my expectations. It’s a really beautiful place.”
However, the tomb itself is limited to just 60 visitors a day, which is done via a sign-up form on the cemetery’s website.
As well as being the only player to win the World Cup three times, Pele has amassed an astonishing – if not controversial – goal record.
Pele himself claimed he had scored 1,283 goals, which would put him on top of footballs all-time scoring charts.
But Guinness World Records have chalked his tally down to 1.279, while RSSSF (Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation) has his tally down with a still impressive 778 strikes.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
