Pele back in Brazil after hospital stay in France

SAN PAULO, Brazil – Football great Pele arrived back in Brazil Tuesday, April 9, after a six-day hospital stay in France.

The three-time World Cup winner was discharged from a Paris hospital late Monday after treatment for an urinary infection following an appearance at a promotional event in the French capital with France striker Kylian Mbappe.

Pele left the Sao Paulo-Guarulhos airport in Brazil in a wheelchair and was taken away by van, an AFP reporter said.

“Once again, thank God, everything went well. I’m alive. Long live Brazil,” Pele said after he arrived.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the Brazilians and all those who called the hospital, who called me, for my operation, to wish me a rapid recovery,” he added.

In a statement on Monday on the Globoesporte.com site, Pele said his condition had required “medical assistance and surgery” but gave no further details.

The 78-year-old’s discharge from hospital came after current Brazil star Neymar, who plays alongside Mbappe for Paris Saint-Germain, paid him a visit in hospital in the Parisian suburbs.

Neymar posted a photo on his Instagram account Monday of himself alongside a smiling Pele in his hospital bed with the two holding hands.

Brazil’s G1 reported that Pele had intended to come out of hospital on Saturday, April 6, to return to Brazil, but had been delayed by further tests.

The infection was not serious and was under control, members of Pele’s entourage had said.

Pele has had several health issues in recent years.

A similar infection put him in intensive care in November 2014.

In 2016, Pele, who played 1,363 professional matches, scoring 1,281 goals, was unable to light the flame at the Rio Olympics because of severe pain in the hip.

In January 2018, he cancelled a trip to London fearing a “stressful” and “tiring” journey. – Rappler.com