The Brazillian King of soccer, Edson Arantes do Nascimento, known as Pele who was hospitalized in Sao Paulo last Tuesday has died this morning.
Fidel Info reports that Pele, the greatest player to ever play the game and a three-time World Cup champion, allegedly received a respiratory illness diagnosis and was admitted to the hospital right away.
A medical report issued on Friday stated that Pele had a good response to antibiotic therapy and was stable with “general improvement in health status.”
He underwent colon tumor removal in September 2021 and has been routinely receiving hospital care.
According to reports, chemotherapy had been stopped and Pele was just receiving palliative care, which focused on treating symptoms including pain and breathing difficulties.
When he was admitted to the hospital earlier this week, he was also said to have experienced widespread edema and cardiac problems.
Pele had said in an Instagram post on Thursday 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 striker’s face was projected on a building in Qatar with the message, “Get well soon”.
A sign with the same message was displayed by Brazilian fans at the Lusail Stadium last Friday ahead of the national team’s 1-0 defeat against Cameroon.
Meanhwile, ahead of Brazil’s last-16 tie at Stadium 974, Pele recalled memories of his World Cup debut in 1958, when the 17-year-old helped Brazil lift the Jules Rimet Trophy in Sweden.
He wrote on Twitter: “In 1958, I walked the streets thinking about fulfilling the promise I made to my father. I know that today many have made similar promises and are also going in search of their first World Cup.
“I’ll be watching the game from hospital and I’ll be rooting for each one of you. Good luck!”
Injury affected Pele’s contribution to the 1962 and 1966 World Cup finals, but he returned to lead Brazil to a third triumph in Mexico in 1970 as part of what is widely regarded as the greatest international team of all time.
Officially, Pele scored 757 goals in 831 games during a glittering career from 1957 to 1977, although club Santos claim his tally was closer to 1,000.