Before he was buried, a die-hard soccer fan scored one last goal.
José Milton dos Santos, 60, died on Friday in Brazil.
He was known in his community as a local hero who started a local team 40 years ago and set up youth fields.
A football lover, his loved ones adorned his coffin with jerseys, but they had the idea to let him play for the last time.
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A «local hero» died last week, so his friends honored him by letting him score one last goal. (AP Photo/Hendra Permana)
On a makeshift soccer field, his coffin was next to an imaginary goal in the dos Santos field. A wake attendant passed the ball to the coffin, directing it into the goal. The attendees responded with applause.
«On the day of the wake, his family came to the court and we came up with this idea together,» dos Santos’ assistant Emerson Lúcio told local media.
«We realized that it made sense to have the wake there, where he lived.»
A football goal crossbar (Adam Davy/PA Images via Getty Images)
«They couldn’t say goodbye to him earlier. So, the idea of the ‘final goal’ came up to make sure he had a dignified send-off, bringing together everyone he loved,» added his niece, Evelyn Santos da Dilva.
Dos Santos directed the fields of his team for 40 years until his death. Reports say dos Santos died after a branch fell on a ladder he was using while he was maintaining his local field.
«He not only played but also managed the field, the teams and the schedules. He coordinated everything. He also took care of the cleaning, trimmed the trees, weeded, everything,» Lúcio said.
A soccer ball on the grass during a game between Charlotte FC and the Philadelphia Union on May 31, 2023 at Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania. (Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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More than 200 people came to pay their respects.