Mourners flock to pay tribute to Pele (VIDEO)

Fans lined up to bid farewell to Brazil’s greatest sporting hero

Brazilian football fans have converged on the Vila Belmiro Stadium in Santos to pay tribute to the legendary forward who passed away last Thursday at the age of 82 following a prolonged battle with cancer.

Hundreds of supporters began filtering towards the stadium at which Pele enjoyed some of the most iconic moments of his football career early on Monday morning to pay their last respects to the former Brazil international, who is generally regarded as one of the finest footballers in history.

Pele, who was born Edson Arantes do Nascimento, enthralled football fans during his career with Santos, scoring 643 times in just 659 appearances for the Brazilian club between 1956 and 1974, though some estimates suggest he scored many more which were not officially recorded.

He won three FIFA World Cups with Brazil, as well as a host of domestic and individual honors while registered as a Santos player.

A look inside Santos FC’s Vila Belmiro Stadium - outside São Paulo,