Pele's daughter has confirmed that the sports icon has been hospitalized, multiple outlets including Reuters and Sky News have reported.
The Brazilian soccer legend, who is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, is currently being treated for metastatic cancer. He was taken by his wife Marcia Aokoi and a carer to the Albert Einstein hospital in Sao Paulo on Tuesday.
The hospital visit was unscheduled, as reported by ESPN Brasil, with the outlet going on to state that Pele's condition is "debilitated."
Doctors at the hospital confirmed his condition of anasarca (general swelling), an edemigemic syndrome (general edema) and also noted that he had "decompensated heart failure".
Pele's recent hospitalization was confirmed by his daughter Kely Nascimento on Instagram on Wednesday. She did add, though, that there was "no surprise or emergency" involved.
"Lots of alarm in the media today concerning my dad's health. He is in the hospital regulating medication," Nascimento wrote. "There is no emergency or new dire prediction. I will be there for New Years and promise to post some pictures."
Per reports, Pele was experiencing cardiac issues and doctors told him that his chemotherapy treatment was not having the desired effect. The 82-year-old has also sustained "general swelling". He will be undergoing additional tests in order to attain a more detailed understanding of his health issues.
The tests will reportedly evaluate the possibility of a hepatic encephalopathy. Pele is also experiencing difficulties eating, per ESPN Brasil.
Last month, on October 23 (his birthday), Pele took to Instagram to open up about how grateful he was to be in "good health".
He said: "I just want to express my gratitude. Life is good. Turning 82 with my family, in good health, is the best gift. Thank you for everything I have received."
In September 2021, the revered sports veteran, born Edson Arantes do Nascimento, had a tumor removed from his colon and following the procedure has been receiving frequent medical attention.
He took to Instagram at the time to allay concerns over his health.
"My friends, thank you very much for the kind messages," he wrote. "I thank God for feeling very well and for allowing Dr Fabio and Dr Miguel to take care of my health. Last Saturday I underwent surgery to remove a suspicious lesion in the right colon. The tumor was identified during the tests I mentioned last week."
Pele continued: "Fortunately, I'm used to celebrating great victories alongside you. I will face this match with a smile on my face, a lot of optimism and joy for living surrounded by the love of my family and friends."
With Pele's help, Brazil won the 1958, 1962 and 1970 World Cups and is still the South American country's all-time leading scorer, with 77 goals in 92 matches for the national team.
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