Pelé remains in hospital: latest news about his status, live updates

Pelé showing "progressive improvement"

Some of the early reports may have been over-stated. It appears that Pelé is fighting on.

There is nothing new when it comes to Pelé

Pelé did all those amazing things before your favorite player was even born.

Seleção Canarinho is with Pelé

The Brazilian team are all thinking about Pelé ahead of their next game.

Pelé responding well and not in ICU say daughters

Despite Pele's health worsening, his daughters came out to 'ESPN' and 'Folha de Sao Paulo' to deny a 'terminal state' for the ex-Brazilian player. What is more, his family confirmed that he responded well to treatment.

Pele's health is still worrying. A lot of sources claim his health is "terminal", but the ex-footballer's daughters, Flavia and Kely, have claimed the opposite to 'ESPN' and 'Folha de Sao Paulo'.

"He's not in ICU. He's in a normal room, he's not at risk. He's on treatment. It's very unfair that they're talking about him being in a terminal state and being in palliative treatment. That's not how it is", Flavia said.

One of his descendents emphasised that the reason he was taken in to hospital was for COVID-19, as the Brazilian legend got a lung infection which caused him to have to be hospitalised.

In the last few days, ex-Arsenal and current FIFA member Arsene Wenger spoke about his state of health, and admitted that his agent told him he had returned to hospital, but that he was 'not in danger', something which reassured the Frenchman.

Why work?

Mexico, 1970. The sign reads "Today we are not working because we are going to see Pelé." And quite right too!

Everyone has a Pelé memory

Even Pelé has great memories and he shares them with us in this tweet. "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 will watch the game from the hospital and I will be rooting for each one of you. Good luck!"

Lula's message to Pelé

Brazil's president-elect Lula has joined other well-wishers in sending their message to Pelé as he recovers in hospital.

""We must all hope that the greatest symbol of the Brazilian national team and of Brazilian football can recover and join us in celebrating the sixth World Cup. To your good health, Pelé,"

"We've won nothing yet!"

A good memory from Andrew Downie (who you should be following if you're not already), about how focused Pelé was. Certainly worked, Brazil went on to win the 1970 World Cup, boffing Italy 4-1 in the final, in Mexico. That was the first time the World Cup had been held in North America. 

Neymar one off Pelé record

As Fernando reminds us, Neymar needs just one more goal to equal Pelé's all-time national team scoring record.

Pelé made his international debut against Argentina back in 1957, and scored in the 1-2 loss. He went on to score a total of 77 goals in 92 games for his country, with a rather impressive 0.84 goals-per-game ratio.

Neymar sits on 76, but will be eyeing the record when he faces Croatia in the World Cup quarter finals in a few days. His debut came in 2010, where he scored in the 2-0 win against the USA and he has since represented the Selecao 123 times.

PSG lead Pelé-Mbappé tribute

With the number 10 on their backs, the Brazilian and Frenchman represent all that is beautiful about the game we love.

Brazil FA with the King

"We're with you, King!  We'll always be together." tweets the Brazilian FA

Brazil goalkeeper Alisson sends Pelé message

Speaking after the win over South Korea, Brazil keeper Alisson said: "Everybody knows that Pelé is not doing well with his health. He means so much for us Brazilians, he means so much for football. It's just a small message from our team to him, we're praying for him to get better. We are together with him, he's not alone.

"You'll Never Walk Alone and he'll not walk alone at this hard moment. His family will not walk alone. We are with them, even if we are far away. If we can fight here at the World Cup and win games for him and win the competition for him, we'll do that."

Alisson of course plays for Liverpool, where You'll Never Walk Alone means absolutely everything. 

SOCCER

Did Pelé ever play against Maradona in an official soccer game?

A question many people ask when reflecting on the potential GOATs of the game is whether some from a similar era actually shared the same pitch.

One of Pelé's peers was the recently-passed Argentine legend, Diego Maradona, and our Will looked back on their playing times.

Neymar and co. show Pelé love

Neymar had a Pelé banner prepared for the end of the match, with the team making full use of it at the final whistle to share their message of support.

Brazilian boost for hero Pelé

With Pelé saying he was going to be tuning in to the match from hospital, Brazil put on a show last night, with a sparkling first half, where they scored four against reply against South Korea. 

The game ended 4-1 and Brazil go on to play Croatia in the quarter-finals. There was a tribute to Pelé from the Brazil fans in the 10th minute, along with the players showing their support for the legend. 

​​​​​​​The great man himself would have been proud of that.

Santos offer support for Pelé

The official Santos account has replied to Pelé's tweet saying everyone is with him in his fight, and wishing him "Strength, King!"

Colon cancer

Pelé is suffering from colon cancer, also known as colorectal cancer. Here’s the CDC pages with more information on the disease. As with most cancers, early detection can improve outcomes greatly. 

Symptoms may include:

- A change in bowel habits.

- Blood in or on your stool (bowel movement).

- Diarrhea, constipation, or feeling that the bowel does not empty all the way.

- Abdominal pain, aches, or cramps that don’t go away.

- Weight loss and you don’t know why.

If you have any of those symptoms, speak to your doc, it may not be cancer, but it is absolutely best to get it checked it out. 

Even in the absence of symptoms, regular screening is recommended from age 45 and over.

Albert Einstein Israelite Hospital

Pelé is being cared for at the Albert Einstein Israelite Hospital, widely considered to be the best hospital in Latin America and, according to Newsweek, one of the top 50 hospitals in the world - they placed it at 34 in their 2022 review.

The hospital, opened in 1971, is located in the Morumbi district on São Paulo's south side. 

"He will see Brazil lift the sixth title" - Pelé's grandson

On the back of comments from his daughters, Pelé's grandson,  Arthur Arantes do Nascimento, also said his grandfather would be around for World Cup success on 18 December in Qatar, and that he was moved by tributes from around the world.

“I see people telling me ‘rest in peace’ (for Pelé). One day it will happen, but it is not today,” he said.

“He is going to be well, it is a matter of time. He will see Brazil lift the sixth title.”

Anything you can do... Pelé did first!

Cristiano Ronaldo, Maradona, Lionel Messi, Zinedine Zidane... take your pick.

In this wonderful compilation, and with such limited footage to go on, you can see the comparisons of various moves.

"He'll come home" say Pelé's daughters

Pele "is sick, he is elderly, but at this point he is hospitalized for a lung infection," Kely Arantes Nascimento told the TV channel Globo. "And when he gets better, he'll come home," she said.

"We are not saying goodbye in the hospital," she insisted, explaining that the respiratory illnes​​​​​​​s was the result of a Covid-19 infection the sporting icon had contracted three weeks ago.

Her sister, Flavia Arantes Nascimento, denied reports from the daily Folha de S.Paulo and ESPN Brazil that Pelé was no longer responding to chemotherapy and was now receiving only "palliative care."

She told the news channel that her father was not in the intensive care unit, but a regular ward, and that the family was "tired of receiving condolences" and that the cancer treatment is "delivering results."

"It's really unfair that they're saying he's at the terminal stage. It's not that, believe us," she said.

WORLD CUP 2022

Pelé: A World Cup legend

Pelé may not have the amount of trophies as some players, but there’s plenty of arguments that he is still one of the greatest soccer players to ever live, if not the greatest.

Though the debate over who is actually the best ever goes on, there is no question about who made the biggest impact in the World Cup. Pelé is the only player in history to lift the World Cup trophy on three different occasions, in 1958, 1962, and 1970. 

The Brazilian legend left his mark straight away, scoring twice against Sweden in the 1958 World Cup to become the youngest ever goalscorer at the tournament at just 17 years and 249 days old. That record has yet to be broken to this day.

Pelé's message of thanks

In a statement released on Saturday, Brazilian icon and former national team star, Pelé, said messages of support as well as watching Brazil at the World Cup had given him "energy."

 Pelé's words came after an unsettling scenario, which began when it was announced that he had been moved to 'end-of-life' due to the fact that he had stopped responding to chemotherapy treatment. Fans were then relieved to learn that his situation had improved, when the hospital released a statement indicating that he was "still undergoing treatment and remains stable."

"My friends, I want to keep everyone calm and positive," he said in a statement on Instagram. "I'm strong, with a lot of hope and I follow my treatment as usual. I want to thank the entire medical and nursing team for all the care I have received."

"I have a lot of faith in God and every message of love I receive from you all over the world keeps me full of energy. And watching Brazil in the World Cup too!

"Thank you so much for everything."

Kane's Pelé tribute

Whether you had the chance to see him play or not, it's clear that Pelé inspired many players both past and present.

Indeed, it's likely he will continue to do so for generations to come, such was the significance of the impact that he had on 'The Beautiful Game."

SOCCER

Why did Pelé never win a Ballon D’Or if he is considered the GOAT?

Arguably the greatest, but never a Ballon d'Or winner?

Given the unprecedented success that he achieved with both the Brazilian national team and his club Santos FC, it remains perhaps one of the most curious situations in football's history.

Yet, the reason why is actually quite simple, if not convenient. Indeed, it represents what was a sign of the times in which Pelé was playing.

Pelé's 'almost' goals

Most great attacking players are remembered for their wonderful goals, but how many can also add a miss to their impressive highlights reel?

As the caption here perfectly says: "One of the greatest almost goals in history."  Pelé truly was something to behold.

SOCCER

How many World Cups did Pelé play in and how many did ‘O’Rei’ win with Brazil?

The opportunity to play in a FIFA World Cup is something that only a select group of players get the chance to experience.

To play in four, however, is the kind of thing that legends do and that was certainly what Pelé was and still is.

Pelé in hospital: latest news

Hello and welcome to our rolling feed keeping the millions around world aware of the latest situation surrounding a legend of The Beautiful Game.

As we continue to monitor Pelé's situation in hospital, we will also be taking a look back at the illustrious career of one, if not the, greatest players ever.

From records, to anecdotes and of course some of those unreal goals, we'll be diving deep into the life of the man that the world came to call "O Rei."