Brazil Renames Maracana Stadium Road ‘Pele Avenue’
- Burial holds at the Memorial Necropole Ecumenical in SantosÂ
Planning to pay a befitting tribute to their departed football legend, Brazil is set to rename the road surrounding the legendary Maracana Stadium in Rio after Pele.
According to the City Mayor, Eduardo Paes, the road leading to Rio de Janeiro’s legendary Maracana stadium will be renamed ‘Pele Avenue’ in honour of the Brazil icon who has died at the age of 82.
The road is currently known as the Avenida Radial Oeste (West Radial Avenue) but will officially be renamed Avenida Pele on Wednesday.
Paes wrote on Twitter; “The Avenida Radial Oeste that surrounds Maracanã will be renamed Avenida Pelé tomorrow! The decree will be published in tomorrow’s Official Gazette!”
The Maracana is one of the most famous football stadiums in the world and played host to two World Cup finals in 1950 and 2014. It is named after journalist Mario Filho who campaigned for it to be built back in the 1940s.
There have previously been calls for the ground to be renamed after Pele but no changes have yet been made by the authorities.
With more tributes to Pele already being planned by the South American nation and the sporting world, FIFA President, Gianni Infantino has already revealed plans to ask every country in the world to name a stadium after the Brazil legend.
Pelé, whose full name was Edson Arantes do Nascimento, was buried at the Memorial Necropole Ecumenical, a vertical cemetery in Santos, with only his family present
The burial was conducted after a procession carried his casket through the streets of Santos, in the state of Sao Paulo. The lying in state took place at Santos’ stadium from Monday until Tuesday afternoon, 3 January 2023 as thousands of locals attended the ceremony.
Brazilian new President Lula was among the many global dignitaries that paid their last respect at the site which hosted some of the best matches of Pelé’s career.
The former Brazilian striker and three-time World Cup winner was then transported via a procession to the Memorial Necropole Ecumenica vertical cemetery, where he was interred on the ninth floor – overlooking the pitch of Santos’ Urbano Caldeira stadium.
