Brazilian soccer great Pelé leaves intensive care

MAURICIO SAVARESE
Updated ·1 min read
FILE - In this Dec. 1, 2017 file photo, Brazilian soccer legend Pele attends the 2018 soccer World Cup draw in the Kremlin in Moscow. On his social media accounts, Pele said on Monday, Sept. 6, 2021 that an apparent tumor on the right side of his colon had been removed in an operation. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)

SAO PAULO (AP) — Retired Brazilian soccer star Pelé was moved out of intensive care on Tuesday as he continues to recover from surgery to remove a tumor from his colon.

The 80-year-old Edson Arantes do Nascimento was in good clinical condition and will remain “from now on recovering in his room" at Albert Einstein Hospital, the Sao Paulo facility said in a statement.

Pelé said he is ready "to play 90 minutes, plus extra time” after leaving intensive care.

“Don’t think for a minute that I haven’t read the thousands of loving messages I’ve received around here,” Pelé wrote on Instagram, smiling in the accompanying photo. “Thank you very much to each one of you, who dedicated a minute of your day to send me positive energy. Love, love and love!"

The tumor was found when Pelé went for routine exams at the end of August. His surgery was Sept. 4 and he had been expected to leave intensive care last week.

Pelé, the only male player to win three World Cups, has had mobility problems since a failed hip replacement surgery in 2012, forcing him to use a walker and wheelchair. In recent years, he has also undergone kidney and prostate procedures.

Pelé won the 1958, 1962 and 1970 World Cups, and remains Brazil’s all-time leading scorer with 77 goals in 92 matches.

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