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Football

03rd Dec 2022

Football legend Pele begins end-of-life care in hospital

Steve Hopkins

Pele is reportedly no longer responding to chemotherapy treatment

Brazilian football legend Pele has reportedly “been moved to palliative care” in hospital and is “no longer responding to chemotherapy”, reports on Saturday suggested.

Reports in Brazil claim the 82-year-old, who went into hospital last week as he continues to battle bowel cancer, is receiving measures to relieve pain in an “end-of life palliative care” ward.

Pele was admitted into the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo, Brazil on Tuesday suffering from “general swelling” and “heart failure”, but an update on Thursday said he was in a “stable” condition.

His daughter, Kely, insisted at the time that there was “no cause for alarm”.

On Saturday, Folha de Sao Paulo reported that the three-time World Cup winner is no longer responding to the chemotherapy treatment he has been undergoing since last September.

They further reported that Pele is in palliative care and won’t be subjected to invasive tests or treatment.

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On Friday, the Albert Einstein Hospital released a statement saying Pele had been diagnosed with a “respiratory infection” that was being treated with antibiotics and would remain in hospital for a few days.

In a post on Pele’s Instagram account on Friday, he responded to a “Get well soon” message that was projected onto a building in Qatar, where the World Cup is taking place, writing: “Friends, I am at the hospital making my monthly visit. It’s always nice to receive positive messages like this. Thanks to Qatar for this tribute, and to everyone who sends me good vibes.”

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Pele – whose full name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento – is regarded by many as the greatest footballer of all time.

He scored 77 times in 92 games for Brazil and won three World Cup. For his Brazilian club, Santos, Pele scored 643 goals in 659 official matches.

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