Football great Pele in stable condition: hospital

The hospital said Friday Pele, 82, was suffering from a respiratory infection. (File photo: Dany Tolenga/Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

BUENOS AIRES – Brazil football legend Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pele, is in stable condition, according to a hospital report Saturday.

The medical note from Albert Einstein hospital said Pele has reacted well to treatment for his “respiratory infection, showing no worsening of the condition in the last 24 hours.”

The hospital said Friday Pele, 82, was suffering from a respiratory infection.

He was hospitalized Tuesday to reassess his chemotherapy treatment following his colon tumor removal in September 2021.

Pele’s daughter, Kely Nascimento, earlier this week wrote on Instagram that her father faces “no emergency.”

He has been receiving frequent medical care.

During the Brazilian national football team’s match Friday against Cameroon at the World Cup in Qatar, the crowd at the stadium displayed a banner to wish the “King of Football” a speedy recovery.

Pele published a photograph Thursday on Instagram thanking fans for the support he has received from Qatar during the tournament.

“Friends, I’m in the hospital doing my monthly visit. It’s always nice to receive positive messages like this. Thanks to Qatar for this tribute, and to everyone who sends me good vibes,” he wrote.

Pele helped Brazil win three World Cups in 1958, 1962 and 1970.

He is Brazil’s leading scorer with 77 goals in 92 matches for his country and is regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time. (Anadolu)