The family came to the hospital to Pele: the health of the football player worsened

Doctors said last week that the cancer had progressed

The family of world football legend Pele has gathered in a hospital in Sao Paulo amid reports of the deterioration in the health of one of the most famous Brazilians.

The family members of Brazilian football great Pelé have been gathering at the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo, where the 82-year-old global icon has been staying since the end of November.

Doctors said earlier this week that Pele’s cancer had progressed, adding that the three-time World Cup winner was under “increased scrutiny” due to “dysfunction of the kidneys and heart,” the Associated Press recalled. Since then, no other hospital statements have been released.

Edson Cholbi Nascimento, one of Pele’s sons known as Edinho, arrived on Saturday, a day after he gave a press conference denying he was visiting his father in the hospital. Edinho, who works at a football club in southern Brazil, said at the time that only doctors could help his father.

“He (Edson) is here,” wrote Keli Nascimento, one of Pele’s daughters, in a social media post with a photo of her sitting next to Edinho and his two children in the hospital. “I won’t leave, no one will take me out of here.”

Hours later, Edinho, the former Santos goalkeeper, posted a photo of himself holding his father’s hand.

“Dad … my strength is in you,” wrote the son of Pele.

Edson Arantes do Nascimento, aka Pele, had a colon tumor removed in September 2021. Neither his family nor the hospital said if it had spread to other organs, the Associated Press notes.

Keli Nascimento and her sister Flavia Arantes do Nascimento used their social media channels on Friday night to post an undated photo of Pele apparently holding Keli with one hand as he lay in a hospital bed while Flavia slept on a couch.

“We continue to stay here, in this struggle and with faith. Another night together,” wrote Keli Nascimento.

The hospital did not mention any sign of Pele’s recent respiratory infection, which was exacerbated by COVID-19.

The newspaper Folha de S.Paulo reported over the weekend that Pele’s chemotherapy was not working and that doctors had decided to put him on palliative care. Pele’s family, however, denied this report.

According to Sky News, Pele’s current hospital stay has sparked a huge wave of goodwill at the World Cup in Qatar, with Brazil’s top players and fans sending their best wishes to the sports icon. The Brazilian team lost the championship, failing to add a new victory to five world titles that began with the triumph of 1958, when Pelé burst onto the scene at the age of just 17 years old. Pelé’s role in Brazil’s third victory in Mexico in 1970 has entered football folklore as he played a key role in arguably the greatest international team in the sport’s history.

Pelé led Brazil to victory in the 1958, 1962 and 1970 World Cups and remains one of the team’s top scorers of all time with 77 goals. Neymar repeated Pele’s record at the last World Cup. During his brilliant 20-year career from 1957 to 1977, Pelé scored 757 goals in 831 games, Sky News reminds.