Football Legend Pele's Family Confirms He's Ok

Former football star Pele (Edson Arantes do Nascimento) was recently admitted to the hospital and many worried that the 82-year-old was near death. Claims of the man being close to death have been denied by Pele's daughters Flavia and Kely Nascimento.

They reported that the man was in fact, undergoing treatment for a respiratory infection that was aggravated by Covid. Apparently, the claims stemmed from reports of Pele having been placed in 'palliative care' after being admitted into the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo on Tuesday.

Kely, Flavia and Arthur Arantes do Nascimento updated Pele's fans during an interview on Sunday evening. In the interview, they stated that Pele is expected to leave the Albert Einstein hospital once he fully recovers from the respiratory infection.

The hospital has reported that Pele was responding well to treatment for the infection and that his health condition had not worsened over the previous 24 hours. So far, it’s been confirmed that Pele is in stable condition.

Pele's grandson Arthur even revealed that the 82-year-old had been watching Brazil at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and said they had been debating the matches over the phone.

As a footballer, Edson Arantes do Nascimento (known to the masses as Pele) was regarded by many as the greatest footballer of all time. He won three World Cups with Brazil in 1958, 1962 and 1970, and scored 643 goals in 659 official matches for the Brazilian club Santos.

Since Pele’s admission to the hospital, fans and players from across the world took to social media to send their well-wishes. Among the well-wishers were his former club Santos, Brazilian ex-player Rivaldo and the France international forward Kylian Mbappe.

Pele gave a response to a 'Get well soon' message that was projected onto a building in Qatar on his Instagram account on Friday. The message stated, “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”