Soccer fans from every corner of the globe are paying their respects before soccer legend Pele is laid to rest on Tuesday. But FIFA president Gianni Infantino has an idea for how fans can honor him forever: By naming a soccer stadium in every country after the icon.
“We are going to ask every country in the world to name one of their football stadiums with the name of Pelé,” Infantino told reporters in Sao Paulo on Monday, via CBS Sports. “I am here with a lot of emotion, sadness, but also with a smile because he gave us so many smiles. As FIFA, we will pay a tribute to the ‘King’ and we ask the whole world to observe a minute of silence.”
CBS Sports notes that Rio de Janeiro had originally planned to rename Maracana Stadium after Pele, but the Brazilian government scrapped the idea in 2021.
Pele passed away last week at the age of 82 after a long battle with cancer. He had posted to social media at the beginning of December that he was watching the World Cup from the hospital and, of course, rooting for Brazil. Pele won three World Cups with his native country as well as set multiple records, including being the joint top goal-scorer for Brazil with 77 goals in 92 games. He is the only player in history to win three World Cups.
