Credit: Instagram @pele
Brazilian news sources claim that Pele has been moved to palliative care.
The three-time World Cup champion, who is regarded as one of the best players ever, underwent surgery to remove a colon tumor last year and has since been in and out of the hospital.
He was admitted to the hospital earlier this week, but his daughter said on Wednesday that there was “no surprise or emergency,” and Pele later stated in an Instagram post that it was a “monthly visit.”
Pele, though, reportedly stopped responding to chemotherapy on Saturday, according to a source in Folha de Sao Paulo, and is now getting analgesics in a palliative end-of-life care hospital.
The 82-year-old won’t undergo any invasive procedures or examinations.
Pele led Brazil to their first World Cup victory in 1958 when he was just a teenager, and the Selecao repeated the feat in 1962 and 1970.
He gave the team a good luck message last week when Brazil’s 2022 campaign began going.
He wrote on Instagram: “Today we start writing a new story. No matter the size and tradition of the opponents: we must respect and play each match with the focus of a final.
“It is important to play beautifully, yes, but it is also essential to leave everything on the pitch.
“Today, we will be more than 200 million hearts beating as one, vibrating with each achievement of our Selecao.
“I am sending all positive energies to you. I’m sure we’ll have a happy ending. God bless you. Bring this trophy home!”