For the legendary Brazilian soccer player Pele it might come as a temporary relief as he was released from a Sao Paulo hospital. But he will continue to be treated for a colon tumor.
"Edson Arantes do Nascimento was discharged from the Israelita Albert Einstein on Thursday," the hospital said in an official statement.
"The patient remains stable and will continue having treatment on the colon tumor that was identified in September."
81-year old Pele, was hospitalized at the start of December for sessions of chemotherapy. He was also previously hospitalized for almost one month after having a surgery in order to remove the tumor.
Later on Thursday, Pele posted a picture on social media from his younger days and said, "The smiling photo is not for nothing. As I promised you, I will spend Christmas with my family. I'm coming back home. Thanks for all the kind messages."
Daughter's message
After his re-admittance in early December, Pele's eldest daughter Kely Nascimento updated fans and followers with an Instagram post of her own.
"My sister Flavia Kurtz is giving him a hug for me! In two or three days he returns home to enjoy Christmas," she wrote.
"This was not a surprise. It was already scheduled and is part of the treatment. All my gratitude, always."
Former World Cup winner, Pele underwent a prostate surgery back in 2015 after being taken to hospital for the second time in a period of six months. Later in 2019 he was again admitted for a urinary infection.
Pele helped Brazil in winning the 1958, 1962 and 1970 World Cups. Pele is his country’s all-time leading scorer with 77 goals in 92 matches.
