Daughter calms fears as Pele, 82, is taken to hospital | OneFootball

The news on Wednesday afternoon looked serious after it was reported that Pele had been rushed to a Sao Paulo hospital, but the 82-year-old appears to be in a stable condition.

One of the greatest footballers in history, an icon in Brazil and certainly the greatest of his generation, he is held up as arguably the greatest hero in modern Brazilian history. His impact was akin to The Beatles in the 1960s.

As per Diario AS, reports broke out that he had been rushed to hospital on Wednesday. Pele is currently suffering from cancer in the stage of metastasis and is undergoing chemotherapy.

However in this case, he has only gone in for tests and medication, as per his wife. Later in the afternoon, Kely Nascimento released a statement on Instagram in an attempt to cool speculation.

“Hello friends. The media is going crazy again and I want to come here and calm them down a bit. My father is hospitalised, he is regulated by medication. I’m not going to run to catch a flight to there. My brothers are visiting Brazil and I’m going for the New Year. There are no surprises or emergencies. We are very grateful for all the care and love that you transmit.”

All being well, Pele will respond to chemotherapy as early as possible. However Nascimento’s statement should reassure Brazil.