‘I’m better, ready to play again’, says Pele after surgery

Edson Arantes do Nascimento  better known as Pelé is a Brazilian former professional footballer,  born on  23 October 1940.

Pelé who played as a forward and regarded as one of the greatest players of all time and labelled “the greatest” by FIFA. He was among the most successful and popular sports figures of the 20th century.

Pele said on Thursday that he is feeling “better” and joked that he can’t wait to get back to playing the beautiful game, just two weeks after leaving hospital following surgery on a colon tumor.

The 81-year-old spent a month in a Sao Paulo hospital recovering from his operation, while also receiving chemotherapy.

“Thanks to God, I’m better, I’m even ready to play on Sunday,” he joked.

“In all seriousness, thank you for everything, thank you to everyone that has sent me hugs and given me strength,” he added in a video message published on the Instagram accounts of two of his children.

He underwent surgery on September 4 after a routine check-up had detected the suspicious looking tumor.

The results of his biopsy have not been made public and neither the player, his family, nor the medical center where he received treatment have commented on whether the tumor was cancerous, although chemotherapy is typically used to treat cancer.