Brazilian soccer legend Pele’s cancer has advanced and he needs care for kidney and heart dysfunction, according to a medical report, and his family said he will remain in a Sao Paulo hospital over the Christmas period.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, the 82-year-old has been hospitalized at Albert Einstein Hospital since late November as doctors reassess his treatment and deal with a respiratory infection. Reuters reports.
Pele has been receiving regular medical treatment since a colon tumor was removed last September.
Pele’s cancer has progressed, the footballer remains in hospital
“Our Christmas at home has been put on hold,” his daughter Kely Nascimento said on Instagram, thanking people for their support.
“We have decided with the doctors that, for various reasons, it would be best for us to stay here, with all the care that this new family at Einstein is giving us,” she added in the post.
The former footballer, happy about the success of Argentina and Messi
Following Argentina’s victory in the World Cup final on Sunday, Pele posted a photo on social media of his team lifting the trophy and hailed the performances of team leader Lionel Messi, France’s rising star Kylian Mbappe and surprise semi-finalists Morocco .
“Today, football continues to tell its story, as always, in an engaging way,” he said. “What a gift it was to watch this spectacle of the future of our sport.”
Before the quarter-final match in Qatar, where they lost to Croatia, Brazil’s players unfurled a massive banner on the pitch with an image of the great footballer during his 1970 World Cup victory. It read simply: “Pele !”