A few days after cheerfully declaring that he was improving, Pele was admitted to intensive care for a few hours early Friday morning due to his deteriorating health. The Brazilian football legend (80) left the intensive care unit of Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo on Tuesday.
Pele, who is rarely seen in public, underwent surgery last week to remove a polyp from his colon. The three-time world champion (1958, 1962 and 1970) was hospitalized two weeks ago. The former Santos and New York Cosmos player has been struggling with his health for years.
And Albert Einstein Hospital said in a statement, Friday, that Pele suffered from breathing difficulties during the night from Thursday to Friday, and therefore he was transferred to the intensive care unit as a precaution. After the Brazilian football star’s condition stabilized, he was allowed to leave the intensive care unit again. “From a cardiovascular and respiratory point of view, Pele is stable and is currently continuing her postoperative recovery process,” the hospital statement said.
On Friday evening (local time), Pele announced via his Instagram account that his recovery is going well. My friends, I am still recovering well. Today I had a visit from my family and I still smile every day. Thank you for all the love I receive from you.”
Among those relatives is daughter Kelly Nascimento, who visited her father in hospital on Friday. According to her, Pele is recovering well from the surgery. “He is recovering well and as expected. I promise you,” Nascimento wrote on Instagram, also posting a photo of her with her father. “The normal healing process for a man his age after this procedure is sometimes two steps forward and one step back.” According to Pele’s daughter, the football icon was tired on Thursday and took a step back. “Today he took two steps forward.”
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