‘I’m Doing Well’, Says Pele After Surgery
Brazilian football legend Pele said Wednesday he is doing well after undergoing surgery for a suspected colon tumor.
“I am recovering well,” Pele, 80, said in a message posted on social media. The surgery was carried out Saturday in Sao Paulo.
The hospital treating him said the former footballer was recuperating in an intensive care unit. However, in an update on Wednesday, the hospital did not say if he was still in that unit.
According to the Albert Einstein Hospital, the tumor was detected during routine tests, where Pele has undergone treatment since August 31.
Pele, whose real name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento, has been in poor health in recent years, and has had several spells in hospital, most recently in April 2019, in Paris, because of a severe urinary tract infection.
The only player in history to win three World Cups (1958, 1962 and 1970), Pele is considered by many to be the greatest footballer of all time.
Four years later, Pele gave a tantalizing glimpse of his ability with an electric individual goal against Mexico in Brazil’s opening 2-0 win.
After retiring from international football, Pele went on to play for the New York Cosmos, before ending his career with over 1,000 goals to his name.
