Pele is in stable condition in hospital after undergoing
surgery for an enlarged prostate, doctors said, in the latest health scare for
the Brazilian football legend.
The 74-year-old had the surgery on Tuesday and is to have
tests to see when he can be released from the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao
Paulo, the same facility that treated him for two weeks last year for a urinary
infection.
The hospital says Pele is resting in his room after a
"transurethral resection of the prostate," or TURP.
The Urology Care Foundation says the surgery "has
excellent outcomes and is the gold standard" in caring for benign
prostatic hyperplasia, or non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate, a common
condition in ageing men.
Brazilian media reports said the surgery was aimed at
preventing a repeat of the urinary infection that put him in hospital last
year.
That health scare, which included five days in intensive
care, came after he underwent surgery for kidney stones on November 13.
After developing an infection, he was readmitted to
hospital.
His only kidney - the other was removed following a rib
injury during his playing days - had stopped working and he had to be treated
with hemodialysis, a procedure that involves filtering a patient's blood
through an artificial kidney.
After a hospital stay that worried fans worldwide, he was
released on December 9, walking gingerly but joking with reporters: "I am
preparing for the Olympics!"
Pele, whose real name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento, is
widely regarded as the greatest player of all time.
The only player to win three World Cup titles, he was named
the athlete of the century by the International Olympic Committee in 1999.
Nicknamed O Rei (The King), Pele was born in a humble home in
the city of Tres Coracoes and exploded into Brazilian football as a young
phenom.
He made his professional debut for the Brazilian side Santos
at 15 and won his first World Cup aged just 17, scoring twice in the 1958 final
win over hosts Sweden.
He would go on to score a total of 77 goals in 91 games for
his football-mad country across a remarkable career that included two more
World Cup titles, in 1962 and 1970.
In 1977, he inspired the New York Cosmos to the US national
title in his final season with the club, which also featured fellow greats
Franz Beckenbauer, Italian striker Giorgio Chinaglia and former Brazil captain
Carlos Alberto.
He scored a total 1,281 goals in his sparkling career.
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