Brazilian soccer great Pelé leaves hospital after weeks

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazilian soccer legend Pelé has been discharged from the hospital where he received treatment for nearly a month.

“I am so happy to be back at home,” Pelé wrote in a post on his official Instagram. “I want to thank the entire Albert Einstein Hospital team, who made my stay a pleasant one, with a humane and very affectionate welcome.”

The 80-year-old removed a tumor from his colon on Sept. 4 and spent days in intensive care after the surgery.

“The patient is stable and will continue with chemotherapy,” doctors from the hospital said in a statement, without providing further details.

In recent days, Pelé published several pictures and videos on social media showing his recovery process in the hospital. The tumor was found when he went for routine exams at the end of August.

Pelé won the 1958, 1962 and 1970 World Cups, and remains Brazil’s all-time leading scorer with 77 goals in 92 matches.

___

More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports