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Hospitalised football icon Pele says he's 'strong, with a lot of hope'
SAO PAULO - Brazilian football legend Pele said that he feels "strong, with a lot of hope" despite medical problems that have kept the 82-year-old sports icon in the hospital with a respiratory infection.
Pele, widely regarded as the greatest footballer of all time, was hospitalised earlier this week amid ongoing colon cancer treatments.
"My friends, I want to keep everyone calm and positive," Pele said in an Instagram post. "I'm strong, with a lot of hope and I follow my treatment as usual."
Doctors treating Pele said that the Brazilian legend remained "stable," with his condition not having deteriorated over the last day.
Pele "has had a good response to care without any worsening in the clinical picture in the last 24 hours," doctors at Sao Paulo's Albert Einstein Hospital said in a statement.
Doctors made no reference to media reports earlier on Saturday that the three-time World Cup winner was receiving end-of-life care.
Pele was admitted to hospital earlier this week for what doctors said was a "re-evaluation" of the chemotherapy he has been undergoing since surgery to remove a colon tumour in September last year.
Pele is the only footballer in history to win three World Cups -- 1958, 1962 and 1970 -- and is one of the most successful and popular sports figures of the 20th century.
In recent years, Pele has faced deteriorating health but has dealt with the issues with trademark good humour.
In his Instagram post, the sports phenom said the flow of messages of love from all over the world "keeps me full of energy" and reported that he is eager to "watch Brazil in the World Cup too!"