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The tomb where "O Rei" was buried after his
death at 83 from advanced colon cancer is on the first floor of
the Memorial Necropole Ecumenica vertical cemetery, considered
the highest in the world, located less than a kilometre from the
Vila Belmiro stadium of his beloved club Santos.
With a stadium-like setting, images of fans in the stands,
synthetic turf on the floor and a small painted sky on the
ceiling, the room where the three-time world champion is laid to
rest features two life-size golden statues in addition to the
gleaming coffin.
The golden tomb is adorned with a cross at the top and two
panels on the sides, recreating the 1000th goal and the famous
fist-in-the-air celebration he made when scoring at the Maracana
stadium in 1969.
In the corners of the memorial hall are the only three jerseys
worn by the Brazilian idol, the one from Santos, the Brazilian
national team and the New York Cosmos, where he retired in 1977.
The venue is expected to attract visitors from all over the
world, turning the city of Santos into a tourist attraction, but
at the moment only 60 people a day are allowed in, subject to
registration.
(Reporting by Angelica Medina in Mexico City; Editing by
Christian Radnedge)
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