 Brazilian football legend Pelle was laid to rest on Tuesday at a vertical cemetery following a 24-hour wait held at the Urbana Caldera Stadium, the home ground of Pelle's former team Santos. Tens of thousands of Brazilians lined along the streets as Pelle's casket carried by a fire engine arrived for a private burial service at the Memorial Necropole eucumenic Cemetery, which is the tallest vertical cemetery in the world with 14 stories high. As Pelle's coffin embarked on an emotional final journey through the city, crowds were seeing gathered near Canal 6, the home of Pelle's 100-year-old mother, Celeste Arantes. Pelle's youngest sister, who was also seen on a balcony, wished she beat farewell to her brother and appeared to gesture her thanks to the crowd. Many have hailed the life of a player who exploded into the world scene as a 17-year-old at the 1958 World Cup, before going on to have a spell-binding career as a sports-leading icon. He is an asset of the century, and he was a great player to pass in the world. I am 86 years old and have followed his games ever since the 1958 World Cup held in Sweden, said Amalia Ferreria, who joined with other fans to cheer and sing Pelle's name. The football legend was buried at the ground floor of the cemetery, which will make it easier for fans to pay tribute to him, according to Pelle's family. The soccer superstar chose his final resting place by himself and was said to have remarked that he liked the spot as it didn't look like a typical cemetery, and gave him a sense of spiritual peace and tranquility. Luis Inacio Lula de Silva, who was sworn in as president of Brazil on Sunday, had earlier arrived to pay tribute at the memorial held at the Urbana Cardera Stadium. Pelle, whose given name was Edson Arantes Nascimento, died at Sao Paulo's Albert Einstein Hospital on Thursday, at the age of 82, after a battle with colon cancer. Considered by many as the greatest footballer of all time, Pelle is the only player to win the World Cup three times, having lifted the sport's most prestigious trophy in 1958, 1962 and 1970.