The 81- year old, 3 Times World Cup Winner is Stable
Brazilian football legend Pele has been hospitalized for treatment of a previously identified colon tumor. The three-times World Cup winner was admitted to Albert Einstein Hospital in San Paulo Brazil, “for follow-up treatment of the colon tumor identified in September this year”, his medical team said in a statement. “The patient is stable, and is expected to be released in upcoming days.”
Pele said on social media in September that a tumor has been found during routine exams that he had initially put off due to the Covid-19 pandemic. He underwent surgery on September 4 to remove the tumor from the right side of his colon, spending a month in the hospital before being released to continue chemotherapy from home.
“Fortunately I’m used to celebrating great victories alongside you. I will face this match with a smile on my face, a lot of optimism, and the joy of living surrounded by the love of my family and friends,” he wrote on Instagram.
Tumour is the latest health issue for Pele in recent years. He has been hospitalized for kidney and prostate issues multiple times and he also underwent a failed hip replacement surgery in 2012.
Pele is considered one of the greatest football players of all time.
He is the only male player to win three World Cups (1958, 1962, 1970), helping his nation to win it’s first-ever title in 1958. He is the country’s all-time top goal scorer with 77 goals and has scored more than 1000 in his entire playing career before retiring in 1977.
The Brief. Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now.