Brazilians mourn Pele at the stadium where he got his start

Pele’s coffin, draped in the flags of Brazil and the Santos FC football club, was placed on the midfield area of Vila Belmiro, the stadium outside Sao Paulo that was his home for most of his career

Fans pay their respects to the late Brazilian football great Pele, who lies in state at Vila Belmiro stadium in Santos (Matias Delacroix/AP)

Thousands of mourners, including high school students and supreme court justices, began filing past the body of Pele on Monday on the century-old field where he made his hometown team one of Brazil’s best.

The Brazilian football great died on Thursday. The only player ever to win three World Cups was 82.