Pele: Brazilians take to streets of Santos to mourn death of football great - in pictures

Brazilian football legend died on Thursday at the age of 82

Fans of Brazilian soccer legend Pele embrace as they mourn his death, in Santos, Brazil, December 30, 2022. REUTERS / Amanda Perobelli

A fan reacts as he mourns the death of Brazilian football legend Pele in Santos, Brazil. Reuters

A man prays for Pele, outside the Vila Belmiro stadium, home of Santos FC. AP

Fans gather in Santos to mourn Pele's death. Reuters

Fans of Pele gather to mourn his death in Santos. Reuters

Fans of Brazilian football legend Pele gather in Santos to mourn his death. Reuters

Santos fans wave a flag in tribute to Pele in front of the Vila Belmiro stadium in Santos. EPA

Fans wave flags to mourn the death of Pele in Santos. Reuters

Fans gather outside the Vila Belmiro stadium in Santos to mourn and pay respects to Pele. AP

A man touches a statue depicting Brazilian football legend Pele in Santos. Reuters

Fans gather outside the Vila Belmiro stadium, home of the Santos FC, to pay respect to Pele. AP

A Santos fan holds a magazine with the picture of Pele outside Hospital Israelita where the late football legend passed away on December 29, 2022 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Getty

Santos fans gather in front of the Vila Belmiro stadium to pay tribute to late Brazilian football legend Pele. EPA

A man looks at a collage on a wall depicting Pele and Maradona, in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Reuters

Brazilians have taken to the streets of Santos in Brazil to mourn and pay their respects to the late Pele after the football great died on Thursday at the age of 82.

Pele spent the majority of his career at Santos, scoring a remarkable 643 goals in 656 competitive appearances across a spell spanning 18 years, during which he led the club to six league titles, two Copa Libertadores, and 10 Campeonato Paulista titles.

Fans gathered outside Santos' Vila Belmiro stadium to leave flowers, wave giant flags, and pray for the Brazilian legend as the southeastern city declared seven days of mourning for its hero.

Nicknamed "O Rei" — The King — Pele had one of the most storied careers in sport and is the only player to win the World Cup three times.

Tributes have been flooding in as figures from the world of sport, politics, entertainment, and millions of fans around the world offer their thoughts and respects.

Neymar, who tied Pele as Brazil's all-time leading goalscorer at the World Cup in Qatar, said Pele had “transformed football into an art".

“Before Pele, '10' was just a number,” the Paris Saint-Germain star wrote on Instagram, alongside two pictures of himself with the late legend.

“I would say that before Pele, football was just a sport. He transformed football into an art, into entertainment … Football and Brazil gained status thanks to the king. He has gone, but his magic will remain. Pele is eternal!”