Argentine footballer Emiliano Sala's family carried his coffin in the journey to its final resting place on Sunday (NZ time), during a ceremony in his hometown of Progreso.
Emiliano Sala's father and brother were helped by his former teammate from the French club Nantes, Nicolas Pallois.
Sala died in a plane crash in the English Channel last month, when flying from Nantes in France to start his new career with English Premier League club Cardiff City.
Cardiff City officials addressed media, while attending the footballer's wake.
"He's my player, he signed for me," Cardiff manager Neil Warnock said.
"I think he was going to be very instrumental in what we were looking to do and I feel that it is the only good thing you can do family."
The signing of the Sala represented the most expensive in the history of Cardiff, about £19 million ($NZ36.6m).
Residents in the town of about 2500 people, many wearing the red-and-black shirt of the local side with the name EMI on the back, began arriving in the early hours of Saturday morning to see the body and pay their last respects.
Grieving Argentines have paid tribute to Cardiff City footballer Emiliano Sala at a special memorial in his home region of Santa Fe.
Reuters
