Pele's "secret" daughter was named in his will - and he met her two sons on his deathbed.
Pele's 'secret' daughter was named in his will - and he met her two sons on his deathbed
The legendary Brazilian footballer, who died of cancer on 29 December aged 82, had always denied that Sandra Regina - who passed away 17 years ago - was his child, but she and his other six kids are named in his will, and he met her sons, Octavio Felinto Neto and Gabriel Arantes do Nascimento, on December 28th in hospital, a day before he died.
Gabriel told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "I thank God for providing this moment, it was what my mother dreamed of most. I spoke to my aunts, and they said that our grandfather wanted to see us.
"We were very excited, it was an opportunity we had been waiting for. Every family has fights and rows, ours is no different, but there are moments when union and love are more important than anything else. We are extremely happy."
Despite Pele - who was worth an estimated £13 million when he passed away - always denying he was Sandra's father, DNA tests and a court ruling in 1991 proved he was.
She was born in 1964 after the Santos star had an affair with his cleaner, Anisio Machado.
Pele was laid to rest earlier this month on the ninth floor of the Memorial Necropole Ecumenica cemetery, which overlooks Santos' Urbano Caldeira stadium in his hometown.
The soccer star's body had been lying in state in the centre circle of the pitch at Santos' stadium for 24 hours before a procession carried his coffin to the cemetery, via a route that passed his former family home, where his 100-year-old mother Celeste and his sister watched on.
He was then buried in a private ceremony with just his family present.
Among those at the stadium - where Pele spent almost his entire club career from 1956 to 1974 - were the sportsman's best friend and former teammate Manoel Maria.
He said: "If I had all the wealth in the world, I would never be able to repay what this man did for me and my family.
"He was as great a man as he was as a player – the best of all time. His legacy will outlive us all, and that can be seen in this long line with people of all ages here."
Pele's daughter Kely Nascimento confirmed his death late last month, writing on Instagram: "We are thanks to you. We love you infinitely. Rest in peace." She added three broken heart emojis to her note.
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