Two of the daughters of Brazilian soccer legend Pele, who has been hospitalized since Tuesday, announced that his health condition does not represent any “danger”, expressing optimism regarding his return home.
His daughter, Kelly Nascimento, said in an interview with Brazilian broadcaster Globo that Pele “is sick, he is old, but he is currently in hospital with a lung infection. When he gets better, he will go home.”
Pele suffers from pneumonia as a result of his infection with Covid-19 three weeks ago.
For her part, her sister, Flavia Arantes, said that Pele “is not in the intensive care unit, he is in a regular room. He is not in danger, he is undergoing treatment.”
Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pele, was admitted to the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo on Tuesday for a re-evaluation of his treatment for colon cancer. Doctors said his respiratory infection was “treated with antibiotics”.
The hospital said on Saturday that his condition was “stable” and that he was responding well to treatment for a respiratory infection. This was confirmed once more by the hospital’s media office to AFP on Sunday.
Pele, 82, said on Saturday that he felt “strong and hopeful”. On Sunday, his two daughters also denied rumors of his deteriorating health.
“We are tired of receiving condolences,” his daughter Flavia told Globo.