The 80-year-old sports icon is recovering well in the ICU following the removal of the tumor.

Football legend, Pele underwent surgery to remove a tumor from his right colon last Saturday.

The news of the surgery was made via his social media account on Monday September 6.

The 80-year-old sports icon is recovering well in the ICU following the removal of the tumour, according to his doctors at Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein in São Paulo.

During one of the cardiovascular and laboratory tests, doctors had found a suspicious lesion in his right colon, which was discovered to be a tumor, said Dr. Fabio Narsi and Dr. Miguel Cendoroglo Neto in a statement.

‘My friends, thank you very much for the kind messages,’ he wrote on Instagram.

‘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.

‘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.’  

Earlier on Monday, Pele’s business manager Joe Fraga said there was no cause for concern.

‘Full battery of tests/scans/colonoscopy/blood etc,‘ Fraga wrote in a message to Reuters. ‘He doesn’t do everything in one day.’

Pele is regarded as one of the greatest footballers in history and is the only player to win three World Cups.

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