Brazilian football icon Pele will remain in hospital over Christmas after a medical report showed his cancer had progressed.
Doctors say he now needs care for heart and kidney dysfunction.
Pele, 82, has been battling colon cancer since September 2021 and was admitted to the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo on November 29 for doctors to reassess his treatment.
His daughter said in an Instagram post that the support of his fans was a “huge comfort” to him.
Kelly Nascimento wrote: “Your love for him, your stories and your prayers are a GREAT comfort knowing we are not alone.
“Let’s turn this room into a Sambadrome (just kidding), let’s even make a caipirinha (no kidding!!).”
Relatives said in early December that Pele was in hospital for treatment of a respiratory infection worsened by COVID-19.
Image: Pele celebrates after scoring at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico. Photo: Reuters/Action Images/Sporting Pictures
Pele, whose name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento, had a colon tumor removed in September 2021 and has been in and out of hospital regularly for treatment since then.
The football legend is undergoing chemotherapy in his battle with cancer.
Pele is considered by many to be the greatest footballer of all time.
He burst onto the world stage as a 17-year-old at the 1958 World Cup, helping Brazil to the first of a record five successes.
He also won the World Cups in 1962 and 1970 with the national team.
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