Football legend Pele hospitalized, moved to end-of-life care’, reportedly not responding to fight against bowel cancer

Brazilian football legend Pele ‘has been moved to palliative care’ in hospital and is ‘no longer responding to chemotherapy’ in his fight against bowel cancer.

Reports in Brazil said the 82-year-old, who went into hospital last week, is receiving measures to relieve pain in an ‘end-of life palliative care’ ward.

His former club Santos and the France international forward Kylian Mbappe were among those tweeting good wishes, joining fans around the world.

He was admitted into the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo, Brazil on Tuesday suffering from ‘general swelling’ and ‘heart failure’.

An update on Thursday said the three-time World Cup winner was in a ‘stable’ condition in the hospital with his daughter Kely insisting there was ‘no cause for alarm’.

However, a report by Folha de Sao Paulo on Saturday, said Pele isn’t responding any longer to the chemotherapy treatment he has been undergoing since last September to treat his bowel cancer.

They said he is now in palliative care and won’t be subjected to invasive tests or treatment. Palliative care is for patients with potentially life-threatening diseases or conditions and end-of-life care.

Pele – whose full name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento – is regarded by many as the greatest footballer of all time.

He won three World Cups with Brazil in 1958, 1962 and 1970, and scored 643 goals in 659 official matches for the Brazilian club Santos. He scored 77 times in 92 games for his country’s national team.