Pele laid to rest on ninth floor of world’s tallest vertical cemetery 

The body of the late Brazil football legend, Edson Arantes do Nascimento, popularly known as Pele, was put in a coffin and then draped in the Brazilian flag, and then the  body was moved round major streets before his burial on Tuesday,January 3rd,2023 in Sao Paulo.

The casket left Santos’ stadium on a fire engine for the procession with thousands of mourners lining the streets.

Pele was laid to rest  in the vault at the Memorial Necropole Ecumenica which is just half a mile away from the stadium that made him famous.

Before passing on, Pele spent a lot of time thinking about where he wanted to be buried deciding on his final resting place by paying homage to his father, Dodinho, who died in 1996, wearing the No 9 shirt.

As a mark of respect to his father, Pele chose to be buried on the ninth floor of the world’s tallest, vertical cemetery.

Fans have expressed believe that this resting place will enable Pele watch over his favourite football pitch for eternity.

The vertical cemetery which was built in 1983, and has more than 14,000 vaults. It has a tropical garden, restaurant and even a classic car museum.

The football world also  paid their respects to the legendary forward in Sao Paulo.

Pele, who won the World Cup three times  with Brazil; 1958, 1962 and 1970, died at the age of 82 in December,2022.

Tributes flooded in from the footballing community and beyond for a man widely considered to be the best to ever play the game.

Former Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro, whose term came to an end at the turn of the year, declared three days of national mourning after Pele’s passing.

A number of footballers past and present have shared tributes on social media, while a funeral reception and parade through Sao Paulo allowed many to pay their respects in person.

Streets were closed for the procession, which took Pele from the Urbano Caldeira stadium to the Santos’ Memorial Cemetery in Santos, Sao Paulo state.