BRASILIA: Brazil soccer great Pele said on Monday that he was recovering in hospital from surgery to remove a tumour from his colon.
Pele, the only player to win three World Cups, did not say whether the tumour was malignant but the 80-year-old former Santos and New York Cosmos player said he is feeling good.
"Last Saturday I underwent surgery to remove a suspicious lesion in the right colon," he wrote in a social media post. "The tumour was identified during the tests I mentioned last week."
The Albert Einstein hospital in Sao Paulo said in a statement that they were keeping Pele in intensive care but expected to transfer him to a room on Tuesday.
The tumour has been sent for tests, it added. "Luckily, I am used to celebrating big victories with you," Pele wrote. "I am facing up to this match with a smile on my face, a lot of optimism and happiness for being surrounded by the love of my family and friends."
The news came just hours after a Brazilian news outlet said Pele had spent six days in hospital after going in for his annual medical. Agencies
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