Pele: Brazil football legend 'recovering well' says daughter

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Pele is the only player who has won the World Cup three times.

His daughter reports that Brazilian football legend Pele is now "recovering well" after being briefly admitted to intensive care following a recent surgery.

The 80-year old had surgery to remove a tumor from his colon. He was discharged from intensive care Wednesday.

Sao Paulo's Albert Einstein Hospital confirmed that he had been readmitted "as preventative measures".

Kely Nascimento stated that "He is doing well" and was within the normal range.

After the cancer was discovered in routine tests, he had been receiving treatment at the hospital ever since.

Brazilian media outlets reported that Pele had been readmitted to intensive treatment as a precautionary measure due to his age.

Later, the hospital released a statement confirmating this. It added that "After stabilisation, patient was transferred to semi intensive care.

"He is stable at the moment from both a cardiovascular and respiratory perspective."

His daughter wrote on Instagram, "I don’t know what’s going on with all the rumours out here but my DMs have been booming!" You can read the rest of it here.

"There is already a lot anxiety in the world and we don’t want to add to it.

A man his age will often take two steps forward and one back after an operation such as this. It is very normal.

"Yesterday, he was tired and took one step back. He took two steps forward today!

Pele's health has been an issue in recent years. He had prostate surgery in 2015, after being admitted to hospital for the second consecutive six-month period. In 2019, he was admitted for a urinary infection.

Brazil's leading scorer, Pele has scored 77 goals in 92 matches. He is also one of four players who have scored in four World Cup tournaments.

Lionel Messi was recently surpassed as the top South American men's goal scorer in international matches. He scored a hat trick in Argentina's World Cup qualifying victory against Bolivia.