Pelé, the world soccer star, stopped responding to chemotherapy, says the newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo

Soccer legend Pelé, 82, has stopped responding to chemotherapy treatment for cancer detected in 2021 and is in palliative care at a Sao Paulo hospital, the Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper reported.

According to the newspaper, chemotherapy has been stopped and Pelé is receiving comfort measures to relieve pain and shortness of breath.

The measures will depend on the symptoms, functionality and prognosis, that is, how long the patient is expected to survive,” Folha said.

A representative for Pele did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

The Albert Einstein hospital, where the former soccer player has been hospitalized since Tuesday, said that the latest information available is the medical bulletin released on Friday, which indicates that Pelé was in the room, being treated for a respiratory infection, with proper response.

Friday’s report also noted that the three-time world champion with the Brazilian team “is stable, with a general improvement in health.”

Pelé, who underwent surgery in 2021 to remove a tumor in his colon, has suffered health problems in recent years, which have also led him to undergo hip surgery and need help walking. Since then he has cut back on his public appearances.

Pelé, considered by many to be the best soccer player of all time, made a post on his Instagram account on Thursday in which he thanked the messages of support he has received and the tribute paid to him during the World Cup in Qatar and said that he was making a “monthly visit” to the hospital.