Pele moved to palliative care as cancer therapy hits roadblock

SAO PAULO [BRAZIL]: Brazil football legend Pele, was transferred to end-of-life care at a hospital in Sao Paulo on Saturday after his chemotherapy treatment for cancer no longer appeared to be benefiting him.

In September 2021, Pele received a bowel cancer diagnosis. He had a respiratory infection, which led to his hospitalization on Tuesday where his cancer therapy was reviewed.

Following the assessment, it was determined to transition Pele to palliative or end-of-life care. Palliative care entails offering medical support and physical comfort to people with life-threatening or terminal illnesses. Pele is 82 years old and his condition is said to be stable.

Pele scored 77 goals in 92 international games as the top scorer for the Brazil national football team. He was the only player to do so, winning the FIFA World Cup three times in 1958, 1962, and 1970.

When Pele was just 17 years old, he won his first football World Cup as per the Olympics website. Pele, who was 17 years and 239 days old, made history by scoring the first goal in a World Cup during the 1958 FIFA World Cup in Sweden. The record is still intact.

Pele, a legendary football player who was born Edson Arantes do Nascimento on October 23, 1940, is one of the best ever.

In 2000, FIFA honoured him with the Player of the Century award. France striker Kylian Mbappe on Saturday tweeted, "Pray for the King."

England football captain Harry Kane sent his best wishes to the Brazilian legend and his family. "He is an inspiration amongst our game and an incredible footballer and an incredible person. We wish him well," Kane said.

Throughout his career, Pele scored almost 1,200 goals. More than 1,000 of them came for Santos, the Brazilian football team Pele played for from 1956 until 1974. Pele made three trips to India.

He first arrived in India in 1977 for a friendly match against Mohun Bagan in Kolkata while playing for the New York Cosmos club. It was the second-to-last game of Pele's career.

Later, in 2015 and 2018, he paid two additional visits to India as a guest for events.