Brazilian soccer legend Pele has been in the hospital for six days with an undisclosed health problem.
The 80-year-old has been undergoing routine testing since the health issue was detected but is not seriously ill, according to local reports. His business manager reassured fans that, despite their longstanding concerns about Pele's health, there was no cause for concern.
"Full battery of tests/scans/colonoscopy/blood etc," Fraga told Reuters. "He doesn’t do everything in one day."
The news comes several days after Pele took to Instagram to refute claims that he had fainted.
"Guys, I didn't faint and I'm in very good health," he wrote. "I went for my routine exams, which I had not been able to do before because of the pandemic. Let them know I don't play next Sunday!"
In 2018, Pele collapsed from exhaustion and had to be taken to hospital, the Mirror reported. The following year he was admitted for kidney stones and a urinary tract infection.
"I was worried, but I never feared I'd die. Because I am of Tres Coracoes (Three Hearts, a town in Brazil) it will be difficult for me to die," he told CNN at the time. "But my doctor warned me that I very nearly lost one of my hearts back there."
Pele also reportedly struggled with his hip after undergoing surgery in 2012 and 2015.
"He's embarrassed, he doesn't want to go out, be seen, or do practically anything that involves leaving the house," the three-time World Cup winner's son, Edinho, said during an interview with TV Globo, according to the Mirror. "He is very sheepish, reclusive."
Edinho added that his father was "pretty fragile" because, after having a hip replacement, he did not have "an adequate or ideal rehabilitation."
"So he has this problem with mobility and that has set off a kind of depression. Imagine, he's the king, he was always such an imposing figure and today he can't walk properly," Edinho added.
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Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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