A jersey of Brazilian football team Santos autographed by Pele is one of the exhibits at the Terra do Rei Museum in his hometown Tres Coracoes, state of Minas Gerais in Brazil. Photo: AFP
The death of football legend Pele has rekindled curiosity about the quiet town of Tres Coracoes in southeastern Brazil, where the football prodigy was born.
The three-time World Cup winner, who is widely regarded as the greatest player of all time, died on Thursday at the age of 82 - triggering a wave of tributes from the sports world and beyond.
His death after a long battle with cancer was caused by "multiple organ failure," the Albert Einstein hospital in Sao Paulo said in a statement, confirming the news from the legend's family.
Fans seeking rare mementos of the Brazilian star are scouring the town of 75,000 inhabitants where Pele was born to a poor family and spent the first years of his life.
Tres Coracoes, which means "three hearts" in Portuguese, is located some 250km (150 miles) from Brazil's three major metropolises: Belo Horizonte, Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
An employee makes a bed at Casa Pele, a replica of the house where Pele was born and which was built according to the memories of his mother, Celeste Arantes, in Tres Coracoes, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Photo: AFP
The small town is surrounded by coffee plantations and is famous for just one thing: the birth, in 1940, of Edson Arantes do Nascimento, known as Pele.
Pele moved away from Tres Coracoes at a young age before joining his longtime club, Santos FC, as a teenager.
Santos, a port city near Sao Paulo, now hosts the Pele Museum, where most of his trophies and other memorabilia are displayed.
The football star's death has drawn fans to the museum and to Tres Coracoes, where they can visit Pele House - a replica of his first home.
A signed football used in a match by the late Pele is on display at the Terra do Rei Museum in his hometown Tres Coracoes, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Photo: AFP
"I had never been to this house, which is already 10 years old," said Neilor Henrique, 41, who lives nearby.
Built based on the memories of Pele's mother, Celeste Arantes do Nascimento, now 100 years old, the house shows the family's modest origins, with a few pieces of wooden furniture, straw mattresses, an old radio and a framed portrait of his parents on one wall.
Immense statue
A few metres away, the small museum Terra do Rei (Land of the King) exhibits Santos jerseys signed by Pele, a football he played with and his birth certificate.
But some fans say they wished Tres Coracoes had more mementos of the man dubbed "The King."
A statue in honour of the late Brazilian football great Pele stands proudly at his hometown Tres Coracoes, state of Minas Gerais. Photo: AFP
Rafael Antunes took a detour during a family trip to visit the town in search of Pele souvenirs.
"I found few traces of him in the town, almost none," said the 43-year-old entrepreneur, unimpressed by the huge statue of Pele that stands at the entrance to the town.
"I think it shows a certain lack of respect for the role he played for football and our country," he said of the only player to ever win the World Cup three times.
Pele's birth and baptism certificates are part of the archival exhibits at the Terra do Rei Museum in his hometown Tres Coracoes. Photo: AFP
But Fernando Ortiz, a family friend, has a different reasoning for why there aren't more monuments to Pele.
"Many Brazilians can't stand to see their compatriots succeed.
"And when it's a black Brazilian, the dismissal is even stronger," said the 60-year-old, who spearheaded the construction of Pele House.
"Unfortunately, I think that if Pele had been a white man with light eyes, he would have been accepted by everyone." - AFP
