Pele was a mother devotee. His mother encouraged him to become a footballer. He took football initiation from his father in childhood. But mother was the refuge of his happiness and sorrow.
Homesick Edson Nascimento wanted to leave the camp even after being called up to Santos.
Pele stayed in Santos crying only after hearing his mother’s words, thinking about his mother’s pain and poverty.
Pele, who won three World Cups for Brazil, died of cancer at the age of 82. But his mother Donna Celeste is alive.
His mother is 100 years old. Living bedridden. Bent under the weight of age. But mother Dona Celeste knows nothing about her son’s death. Rather, she has not heard about it. Pele’s 78-year-old sister, Maria Lucia do Nascimento, said so in an interview.
A few months ago, Pele posted a picture on the occasion of his mother’s centenary. She was recently awarded ‘Brazilian Mother of the Year’ by Brazil.
She knew that Pele was hospitalized. But Dona is still unaware of the death.
Pele’s sister Maria said: ‘We talked but she didn’t know anything about the death. She has a world of his own, she is fine there. Sometimes I say to her, ‘Celestica, that’s what Dico (Pele) looks like now.’ He opened his eyes and said, ‘Pray for him. But she is not aware of death.’
Maria said, ‘Time is passing very hard. None of us are forever, but the news of his passing made our hearts so heavy. This is very difficult to accept. But death is in the hands of God. We were with him. I knew he was leaving. He said, God is calling him.’
Pele will be laid to rest at the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo. According to Pele’s last wishes, his club will be taken over by Santos. There the general public and dignitaries will pay their last respects to him. After that he will be taken to his mother. He will be buried with members of the family.
(Inputs from different news sources and websites. Image source: Wikipedia)
