Brazil football legend Pele has revealed he has undergone surgery to remove a tumour from his colon.
Pele, 80, helped Brazil to World Cup glory in 1958, 1962 and 1970 and is widely recognised as one of the game's greatest ever players and remains one of its most treasured figures.
He posted an upbeat message on his Instagram, vowing to tackle his illness “with a smile on my face” and that he looked forward to celebrating another "great victory".
“Last Saturday I underwent surgery to remove a suspicious lesion in the right colon,” Pele posted on Instagram.
“The tumour was identified during the tests I mentioned last week. Fortunately I am used to celebrating great victories alongside you.
“I will face this match with a smile on my face, a lot of optimism and joy for living surrounded by the love of my family and friends.”
The Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo, Brazil, said Pele would remain in intensive care. He is expected to be transferred to his own room on Tuesday.
In February 2020, Pele's son, the former Santos goalkeeper Edinho, said his father had become "embarrassed" to leave his house because he cannot walk unaided.
Brazil's all-time leading scorer has faced several health scares in recent years. He underwent prostate surgery in 2015 after he was admitted to hospital for the second time in six months. He was admitted for a urinary infection in 2019.
Pele officially netted 757 career goals, leaving him behind only Cristiano Ronaldo and Josef Biscan on the all-time list. Brazilian club Santos however claim that number is closer to 1,000.
He is one of only four players to have scored in four different World Cup tournaments. Portugal striker Ronaldo and Germany pair Miroslav Klose and Uwe Seeler are the others.
When Pele came to Dubai
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The 1973 account of Santos's match against Al Nasr in Dubai, translated from Arabic. -
Brazilian footballer Pele appears in 'Al Nasr' magazine. Pele was in the UAE to play in a friendly match between Santos and Al Nasr in 1973. Photo: Gary Meenaghan / The National -
A page from Al Ittihad newspaper, 23 February 1973, on the day Brazilian footballer player Pele of Santos arrived in Dubai for a friendly match against Al Nasr. Courtesy / Al Ittihad -
A page from Al Ittihad newspaper, 24 February 1973, on the day Brazilian footballer player Pele of Santos played in a friendly match against Al Nasr, in Dubai. The match took place on 23 February 1973. Courtesy / Al Ittihad -
Pele receives photographs from when his Brazilian team Santos played Al Nasr in Dubai in 1973. Afsal Sham / Al Ittihad / January 16, 2013
