Pele, the 81-year-old Brazilian football hero, has been admitted to the hospital for treatment of a previously diagnosed colon tumor, according to his doctors.
In a statement, his medical team stated he was taken to Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo “for follow-up treatment of the colon tumor found in September this year.”
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“The patient is doing well and will be freed in the following days”. On September 4, Pele had surgery to remove the tumor and spent a month in the hospital before being released to begin chemotherapy at home.
Many consider Pele to be the greatest footballer of all time, but his true name, Edson Arantes do Nascimento, has been in terrible health in recent years and has spent time in the hospital.
The only player in history to win three World Cups (1958, 1962 and 1970), he burst onto the global stage at just 17 with dazzling goals, including two in the final against hosts Sweden, as Brazil won the World Cup for the first time in 1958.
“O Rei” (The King) went on to have one of the most storied careers in sport, scoring more than 1,000 goals before retiring in 1977.