After a report that said that football legend Pelé was undergoing “end-of-life” care, the 82-year-old posted a message on Instagram on Saturday saying that he is currently responding well to the medical treatment being given to him, and is even following the FIFA World Cup 2022 from the treatment center.
In response to the reports from Brazilian newspaper Folha de S.Paulo that Pelé, whose real name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento, is in palliative or “end-of-life” care due to not responding well to chemotherapy made to target his cancer, the football superstar posted on Instagram to silence rumors being made about his health, according to the Associated Press.
“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,” Pelé said in a statement on Instagram.
Pelé has been in the hospital since Tuesday, and was recently diagnosed with bronchopneumonia and had been suffering from “sustained swelling and cardiac issues,” the doctors at the Albert Einstein hospital had said. Despite this, he is reportedly responding well to the antibiotic treatment being given to him to quell the sickness, Al-Jazeera reported.
“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,” he said.
As news of Pelé’s health penetrated the mainstream media, many messages of concern and well-wishes poured out from the football community at large, including messages from buildings in Qatar giving the Brazilian legend their best wishes.
“We send our best wishes to him and his family as well,” Harry Kane, captain of England’s team, said. “[He is an] inspiration amongst our game, incredible footballer, incredible person.”
As a parting message, Pelé, who won three World Cups for Brazil in 1958, 1962, and 1970, indicated that he is currently watching the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, and that he is vehemently rooting for Brazil's team to win. The Brazilian team is set to do a Round of 16 with South Korea on Monday.
“And watch Brazil in the World Cup too!” he said.
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