Hospitalized football icon Pele says he’s ‘strong, with a lot of hope’
Brazilian football legend Pele said on Saturday that he feels “strong, with a lot of hope” despite medical problems that have kept the 82-year-old sports icon in the hospital with a respiratory infection.
Pele, widely regarded as the greatest footballer of all time, was hospitalized earlier this week amid ongoing colon cancer treatments.
“My friends, I want to keep everyone calm and positive,” Pele said in an Instagram post. “I’m strong, with a lot of hope and I follow my treatment as usual.”
Doctors treating Pele said earlier Saturday that the Brazilian legend remained “stable,” with his condition not having deteriorated over the last day.
Pele “has had a good response to care without any worsening in the clinical picture in the last 24 hours,” doctors at Sao Paulo’s Albert Einstein Hospital said in a statement.
Doctors made no reference to media reports earlier on Saturday that the three-time World Cup winner was receiving end-of-life care.
Pele was admitted to hospital earlier this week for what doctors said was a “re-evaluation” of the chemotherapy he has been undergoing since surgery to remove a colon tumor in September last year.
At the ongoing World Cup in Qatar, players expressed their support for Pele.