CNN
–

Brazilians are beginning to pay their last respects to the great football pellet With a 24-hour public wake-up, he kicked off Monday at the Urbano Caldera Stadium, home of his former soccer club, Santos.

The wake is open to the public and mourners began entering the stadium Monday morning.

Then a funeral procession will be held on Tuesday pellet A coffin roamed the streets of Santos, including passing by the street where Pele’s 100-year-old mother, Celeste Arantes, lived.

The procession will continue pellet Final resting place, Memorial Necropole Ecumênica, where a private funeral will be held for family members.

Fireworks greeted the body carrying Pele’s coffin as it left the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo, where the three-time World Cup winner died Thursday of multiple organ failure due to the development of colon cancer.

The body was under heavy police guard as it headed for the stadium, where his coffin would be placed in the center of the field.

Fans had already begun lining the streets in the early hours of Monday, many carrying flags or banners with messages. “oh ry” (“the king”). “Pele, you are an eternity,” read one on the side of the highway.

Inside the 16,000-seat Santos Stadium, a number of large banners were placed throughout the stands, one reading “Long live the King”.

For more than 60 years, Pele’s name has been synonymous with football. He played in four World Cups and is the only player in history to win three times, but his legacy extends far beyond his trophy count and impressive goalscoring record.

Pele famously said: “I was born to play football, just as Beethoven was born to write music and Michelangelo was born to paint.”

Pele, born Edson Arantes do Nascimento, is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in history and Brazil observed three days of national mourning following his death.

Tributes poured in from sports stars, politicians and musicians from around the world for a man who transcended his sport and became a global icon.