The Brazilian legend has been battling colon cancer
Pele attends a press conference at Hotel Lutetia on April 2, 2019 © Getty Images / Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images
There are renewed fears for the health of football giant Pele after the iconic former Brazil international was hospitalized amid reports that he has been experiencing “general swelling” as well as suffering from cardiac issues.
However, his daughter, Kely Nascimento, has tried to allay concerns with a social media post on Wednesday in which she said there was “no emergency or new dire prediction” in the health of the former FIFA World Cup winner.
This follows a report from ESPN Brazil, which stated that Pele had been admitted to the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo, where he has been undergoing a series of tests to determine if there has been a downturn in his health.
The same outlet also reported that Pele was suffering from poor heart health, and that staff at the hospital had become concerned about Pele’s response to chemotherapy treatment, with initial reporting suggesting that he may be suffering from decompensated heart failure.
Pele's daughter, Kely Nascimento, has confirmed he is back in hospital, but says "there are no surprises or emergencies" and that her father is "regulating medication" for cancer. Get well soon, @Pele 🙏❤️ pic.twitter.com/2GXJ0rYWDO
— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) November 30, 2022
“Lots of alarm in the media today concerning my dad’s health. He is in the hospital regulating medication,” Nascimento wrote on Instagram.
“There is no emergency or new dire prediction. I will be there for New Years and promise to post some pictures.”
Pele, 82, had surgery to remove a tumor from his colon in September last year and has been in and out of the hospital for regular treatment related to his cancer diagnosis since then.
The Albert Einstein Hospital has yet to comment on Pele’s condition.
Reports say Pele’s wife, Marcia Aoki, first became concerned when she noticed swelling on her husband’s body, with ESPN Brazil also noting that the ex-footballer was disorientated when he arrived at the hospital and had been struggling to feed himself.
His latest health scare follows a prior hospitalization in January in which he received cancer treatment and was discharged just two days later.
Pele is widely considered to be one of the best footballers in history, and scored 77 goals in just 92 appearances for his country. He won three FIFA World Cups during his international career, including in 1958, when he was only 17-years-old.
