On Thursday night, as Brazil grieved the loss of soccer’s greatest hero Pele, both Christ the Redeemer and the Maracana stadium were illuminated in his honor.

Pele passed away from colon cancer on Thursday at the age of 82 at the Albert Einstein Israelite Hospital in Sao Paulo.

Many people throughout the globe consider him to be the best player in the history of soccer, and in his home country of Brazil, he is practically worshiped as a deity.

There was a national outpouring of grief at the passing of the soccer icon, who guided Brazil to its first World Cup victory in 1958. Many people flocked to the streets and Santos’ stadium to pay their respects to the King.

Public wake services are planned to be held at the soccer team’s home stadium, the Urbano Caldeira Stadium, where he will be put to rest.

There was a mural of the club’s great Pele painted on the wall of the Urbano Caldeira Stadium, and many people were spotted displaying their own personal tributes to Pele there.

There was an outpouring of public grief from soccer supporters, with some mourners even shedding tears and comforting one another.

Others carried huge white banners with photographs of Pele’s face or of him in his iconic No. 10 shirt and the words “Pele forever you are the King” inscribed beneath to pay tribute to the late footballer.

In a similar vein, other fans had brought flowers wrapped in similar inscriptions and laid them at the football field, while others had spray-painted “King Pele, idol” on the asphalt.

Throughout his career, Pele scored 1,282 goals in 1,366 games, which included 77 in 92 appearances for his country.

YNaija