Sao Paulo, Dec. 4 (BNA): Brazilian soccer star Pele said today, Saturday, that he is strong and grateful for the broad support he is receiving after he was hospitalized in Sao Paulo earlier this week while battling colon cancer.
The 82-year-old said in an Instagram post that he wanted to keep everyone calm and positive after a medical report showed he was still in stable condition while also being treated for a respiratory infection.
“I am strong, I have a lot of hope and I am continuing my treatment as usual,” said Pele. “I have so much faith in God and every single love letter I receive from you all over the world makes me so full of energy.”
Pele, one of if not the greatest soccer players of all time, was taken to hospital on Tuesday for a reassessment of his cancer treatment.
He had a polyp removed from his colon in September 2021 and receives regular hospital care.
In a report on Saturday, medical staff at Albert Einstein Hospital said Pele had responded well to treatment for a respiratory infection diagnosed after his admission to the hospital and that his condition had not deteriorated in the past 24 hours.
“He is still undergoing treatment and remains in stable condition,” the doctors said.
The latest medical note came after Folha de S.Paulo reported earlier in the day that Pele, whose full name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento, was receiving palliative care after chemotherapy stopped giving expected results.
His manager, family members and the hospital have not confirmed this information.
On Thursday, Pele said in an Instagram post that he was in hospital for a monthly visit.
A striker who played for Brazil and Santos and New York Cosmos as a forward, Pele was one of the most famous athletes in the world in his heyday and is considered one of the best soccer players of all time.
He won the World Cup with Brazil three times, in 1958, 1962 and 1970, a feat no other player has ever achieved. He is Brazil’s all-time leading goalscorer, with 77 goals in 92 matches.
French striker Kylian Mbappe tweeted, “Pray for the king.”
England captain Harry Kane said the entire team wished him well.
“We send our best wishes to him and his family as well. (He is) an inspiration to our game, a fantastic footballer, an incredible person,” Kane said.
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