On Saturday, three-time World Cup winner Pele underwent apparently underdeveloped surgery to remove a tumor in the right side of his colon. The legendary footballer will be shifted to a regular room on Tuesday and is currently in an intensive care unit at the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo.
The 80-year-old revealed about his surgery by uploading an Instagram post on Monday and confirmed that the operation was a “great victory”, along with a picture of him wearing the famous yellow Brazil jersey. He wrote: “My friends, thank you very much for the kind messages. I thank God for feeling very well and for allowing Dr. Fábio and Dr. Miguel to take care of my health. Last Saturday I underwent surgery to remove a suspicious lesion in the right colon. The tumor was identified during the tests I mentioned last week.”
“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 joy for living surrounded by the love of my family and friends,” Brazil legend added.
Pelé is the only footballer in World Cup history to have won three titles with his country, Brazil, in addition to having scored more than 1,000 goals in a professional career that lasted 22 years.
Edson Arantes do Nascimento, known around the world as Pele, was hospitalized last Tuesday. He used his social media channels to deny that he was in poor health. “Guys, I have not fainted and I am very healthy. I went for regular exams, which I was not able to do earlier due to the pandemic. Tell them I won’t play next Sunday,” he joked in a tweet.
Throughout his career, Pele has scored over 1,000 goals for club and country. The former striker played at four World Cups and was part of three winning Brazil teams, in 1958, 1962, and 1970. He is also Brazil’s all-time top goalscorer with 77 goals in 92 appearances.
