Brazil legend Pele undergoes surgery to remove tumor
Football legend Pele has revealed that he underwent surgery to remove a tumor from his colon. The three-time World Cup winner informed about the same through a post on Instagram. Pele, in his post, wrote he vows to face the illness with a smile on his face. The 80-year-old helped Brazil win the World Cup in 1958, 1962, and 1970.
"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 am used to celebrating great victories," Pele wrote. "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."
Reportedly, Pele was in the hospital for six days due to an undisclosed health problem. However, as per his advisor, the Brazil great is not seriously ill. It is understood that Pele was undergoing his routine examinations in Sao Paulo's Albert Einstein Hospital when the issue was detected. His business manager Joe Fraga said there is no cause for concern.
The Albert Einstein hospital said in a statement that Pele was kept in intensive care but he could be transferred to his room soon. Notably, the news came after Pele denied claims that he had fainted. His son Edinho had earlier revealed that Pele was depressed. The latter has also been suffering a hip issue for years.
Pele is regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time. He led Brazil to three FIFA World Cup titles (1958, 1962, and 1970). Pele won Brazil's premier football competition, Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A, six times. Besides, he also won Copa Libertadores (2), Intercontinental Cup (2), Intercontinental Supercup (1), Campeonato Paulista (10), and Torneio Rio-Sao Paulo (4).
Pele has scored the most number of goals for Brazilian club Santos (643 in 659 matches). He remains the top scorer for the Brazil football team with 77 goals in 92 official appearances. He is one of the few players to have scored in four separate World Cup tournaments. Pele also has the distinction of registering the most hat-tricks in world football (92).
