Brazilian footballing legend Pele has been in hospital for six days with an undisclosed health problem but the 80-year-old is not seriously ill.
The Globo news site in Brazil said Pele was undergoing routine examinations in Sao Paulo’s Albert Einstein Hospital when the undisclosed issue was detected.
Pele’s business manager Joe Fraga said there was no cause for concern.
‘Full battery of tests/scans/colonoscopy/blood etc,’ Fraga wrote in a message to Reuters. ‘He doesn’t do everything in one day.’
The scare came a few days after Pele was forced to refute reports he had fainted.
In an Instagram message accompanied by a smiling picture of the three-times World Cup winner, Pele wrote: ‘Guys, I didn’t faint and I’m in very good health.
‘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!’
Pele is regarded as one of the greatest footballers in history and is the only player to win three World Cups.
Last year his son said his father was depressed over his poor health and reluctant to leave the house because he cannot walk without assistance, although Pele later publicly denied that statement.
Pele said: ‘I am good. I continue to accept my physical limitations in the best way possible but I intend to keep the ball rolling.
‘I have good days and bad days. That is normal for people of my age. I am not afraid, I am determined, confident in what I do.’
