Pele: Brazil legend to remain in hospital as his health worsens

Hospital treating football great announces cancer "progression"

Brazilian legend Pele attends the 2018 World Cup draw at the Kremlin in Moscow. AP

Pele smiles during the opening of the World Economic Forum on Latin America 2018 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. AFP

Brazilian legend Pele in 1970. He is the national team's all-time top scorer with 77 goals. Getty Images

Pele celebrates his 1,000th goal - a number disputed by footbakll historians. Getty Images

Pele prepares to take a penalty against Vasco de Gama at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro November 19, 1969. AFP

A handout photo made of Pele posing after receiving the vaccine against Covid-19, in Sao Paulo, Brazil in 2020. EPA

Pele's last match for the Brazil national team was on 18 July 1971 against Yugoslavia in Rio de Janeiro. AFP

Pele is lifted by his Santos teammates after scoring his 1,000th goal against Vasco da Gama at the Maracana, Rio de Janeiro, in November 1969. Getty

Pele shakes hands with American politician Robert Kennedy after a match at the Maracana after Brazil had played the USSR on November 21, 1965. Allsport

Pele of Brazil celebrates the victory after winning the 1970 World Cup in Mexico. Getty Images

The hospital treating Brazilian football great Pele announced a "progression" in his cancer, as well as kidney and heart problems.

Pele, 82, is being treated in the general ward but "requires greater care related to renal and cardiac dysfunctions," the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo announced.

The all-time great was hospitalised in Sao Paulo on November 29 for what his medical team called a re-evaluation of his chemotherapy treatments, which he has been receiving since having surgery to remove a colon tumor in September 2021.

Doctors have also diagnosed Pele with a respiratory infection.

Kely Nascimento, one of his daughters, said Pele will stay in the hospital during Christmas.

“We decided with doctors that, for many reasons, it will be best for us to stay here, with all the care that this new family at Einstein gives us,” she wrote on Instagram. “We love you and we will give up an update next week.”

Following Argentina's win in Sunday's World Cup final, Pele posted a picture on social media of their team lifting the trophy, and hailed performances from captain Lionel Messi, France's 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."