Pele in a stable condition, hospital treating Brazilian football legend, 82, confirms

Pele is in a stable condition and has responded well to treatment for a respiratory infection, the hospital treating the Brazilian football legend has confirmed.

On Saturday, reports in Brazil revealed the 82-year-old had been moved to ‘end of life’ palliative care after his body reportedly stopped responding to treatment for bowel cancer.

Sao Paulo‘s Albert Einstein Hospital has now provided an official update on Pele’s condition, stating it has not worsened in the past 24 hours.

Widely considered one of the greatest footballers of all time, Pele was admitted to hospital on Tuesday to re-evaluate his cancer treatment. He had a tumor removed from his bowel in September 2021 and has been receiving hospital care on a regular basis.

“He is still undergoing treatment and remains in stable condition,” the medical staff said.

The Brazilian newspaper Folha de S.Paulo had reported that Pele was suffering from a general swelling and cardiac issues when admitted to hospital earlier this week, as previously reported by ESPN Brasil.

His manager, family members and the hospital have not commented specifically on the reports.

On Thursday, Pele said in an Instagram post that he was at the hospital for a “monthly visit” and thanked his supporters for the positive messages he had received.

The former Brazil, Santos and New York Cosmos forward posted a picture of his face projected on a building in Qatar, where the World Cup is being held, next to a message saying “Get well soon”.

A sign with the same message was displayed by Brazilian fans at the Lusail Stadium on Friday ahead of the national team's 1-0 defeat against Cameroon.

He has also received messages of support on social media from soccer stars including French striker Kylian Mbappe and Brazil's Vinicius Junior.

Additional reporting by Reuters.