MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brazil: Pele hospitalized for further cancer treatment

Pele is undergoing chemotherapy for his colon tumor

Brazilian football legend Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pelé, has been admitted Wednesday into the Albert Einstein Clinic in São Paulo for further treatment of a colon tumor. He was said to be “stable.”

Pelé underwent a series of medical tests to evaluate his condition and to receive chemotherapy treatment, it was reported. The 81-year-old Edson Arantes Do Nascimento is expected to be released from the hospital Friday.

The tumor had been detected last September during a routine checkup, the medical center said. At that time, Pele underwent surgery.

“My friends, every day that passes I feel a little better. I really want to play again, but I am still going to recover for a few more days.”
“While I'm here, I take the opportunity to talk a little more. A lot with my family and to rest. Thanks again for all the loving messages. We will be back together soon!” Pele posted on Instagram in September.

“The patient is stable and the forecast is that he will be discharged in the next few days,” the Albert Einstein Clinic said in a press statement Wednesday.

Pelé was hospitalized at the same clinic Aug. 31 for routine examinations he had postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. It was during those tests that the tumor was detected and surgery ensued days later. He was released after a month in the hospital, but has been undergoing chemotherapy treatment to which, according to his doctors, he has reacted “satisfactorily.”

Pelé's health has deteriorated in recent years due to spinal, hip and knee problems which have reduced his mobility and for which he was also operated on. He is also known to have some sort of kidney ailment.

However, he has been active on social media, saying he felt “increasingly younger.”

Pele is the only player to have won three World Cups: 1958, 1962 and 1970.