Celeste, mother of late Brazilian football legend, Pele will be able to say her final goodbyes to her son after being previously uninformed of his death.
The Brazilian footballer, who won three World Cups with his country, died on December 29, 2022 following a battle with cancer, after having been receiving treatment at Sao Paulo’s Albert Einstein Hospital located in the Morumbi District, Brazil.
Pele’s funeral began yesterday at the Estadio Urbano Caldeira (commonly known as Vila Belmiro), the home of Santos, where he spent the majority of his legendary playing career. His casket will then be carried through the streets of Santos, going through the neighborhood of his 100-year-old mother to allow her to say her final farewell.
Pele’s sister, Maria Lucia do Nascimento, looks after her mother and said Celeste was uninformed of Pele’s death. “We talk but she doesn’t know the situation. She’s in her own world,” Maria Lucia explained.
“She opens her eyes when I mention his name and say, ‘we’re going to pray for him’, but she’s not really conscious of what I’m saying.”
Celeste turned 100 in November 2022, and Pele celebrated by posting a message for her on social media. “Today, we celebrate 100 years of Dona Celeste’s life,” Pele wrote at the time.
“From a young age, she taught me the value of love and peace. I have well over a hundred reasons to be thankful for being her son. I share these photos with you, with great emotion to celebrate this day. Thank you for every day by your side, Mom.”
Today, the legend’s casket will be carried through Celeste’s Canal 6 neighborhood. The last resting place of Pele will be the Memorial Necropole Ecumenica, a vertical cemetery overlooking Santos’ stadium, with a private funeral service to be witnessed exclusively by family members.