Football legend, Pele has revealed he will be ‘rooting’ for Brazil as he watches their World Cup last-16 match against South Korea from the hospital.
The 82-year-old, who won the World Cup in his career three times in 1958, 1962, and 1970, is in the hospital to treat a respiratory infection that was aggravated by Covid.
Despite initial concerns that he was close to death, his daughters Flavia and Kely Nascimento quickly moved to rubbish those reports and said he is ‘sick’ but is still supporting Brazil in their bid to win the World Cup.
A tweet on Pele’s official account on Monday December 5, which included a photo of him as a young man, read: ‘In 1958, I walked the streets thinking about fulfilling the promise I made to my father.
‘I know that today many have made similar promises and are also going in search of their first World Cup.
‘I’ll be watching the hospital game and I’ll be rooting for each one of you. Good luck!’
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.