Soccer

Brazil soccer legend Pelé to spend Christmas in hospital as cancer advances

Pelé (82) has been hospitalised in São Paulo since late November

Brazil players bring a Pelé banner on to the pitch following their World Cup match against South Korea in Doha, Qatar. Photograph: PA Images
Brazil players bring a Pelé banner on to the pitch following their World Cup match against South Korea in Doha, Qatar. Photograph: PA Images
Thu Dec 22 2022 - 11:58

Brazilian soccer legend Pelé’s cancer has advanced and he requires care related to renal and cardiac dysfunction, according to a medical report.

His family said he would remain in a São Paulo hospital over Christmas.

Pelé (82), widely considered one of the greatest footballers of all time, has been hospitalised in the Albert Einstein hospital since late November as doctors re-evaluate his treatment and tend to a respiratory infection.

Pelé has received regular medical treatment since a tumor was removed from his colon in September last year.

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"Our Christmas at home has been suspended," his daughter Kely Nascimento said on Instagram, thanking people for their support.

"We decided with the doctors that, for various reasons, it would be better for us to stay here with all the care that this new family at Einstein gives us," she said in the post.

Following Argentina’s win in Sunday’s World Cup final, Pelé posted a picture on social media of their team lifting the trophy, and hailed performances from squad leader Lionel Messi, France’s rising star Kylian Mbappe and surprise semi-finalists Morocco.

"Today, football continues to tell its story, as always, in an enthralling way," he said. "What a gift it was to watch this spectacle of the future of our sport."

Brazilian players had during a quarter-final in Qatar unfurled a massive banner on the pitch with an image of the soccer great during his 1970 World Cup win. It simply read: “Pelé!” – Reuters