MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Football legend Pele recovering from colon surgery

“I thank God for feeling very good,” Pele posted on social media

Brazilian football legend Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pele, has undergone colon surgery to remove a tumour. After the procedure, he posted on Instagram that he was feeling well.

The football star of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s thanked their fans for their affection. “I thank God for feeling very good and for allowing Dr Fabio and Dr Miguel to take care of my health… Fortunately, I am used to celebrating great victories with you. I will face this match with a smile on my face, and with great optimism and happiness for living surrounded by the love of my family and friends,“ he wrote.

The 80-year-old Pele also posted: ”My friends, thank you very much for the kind messages. Last Saturday I underwent surgery to remove a suspicious lesion in the right colon.”

The operation was carried out at Sao Paulo's Albert Einstein Hospital. “The tumour was identified during routine cardiovascular and laboratory controls and the material was sent to the laboratory for histological analysis,” read a statement from the Albert Einstein Hospital. “The patient, who is well, remains in intensive care and the forecast is that he will be transferred to his room on Tuesday, September 7,” the medical report added.

Pelé, who will turn 81 in October, was hospitalized on August 31, a day before the former Santos star himself claimed to be “fine” after reports in the Brazilian press about an apparent complication to his health.