Football legend Pele still in ICU after surgery, but on road to recovery

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Brazilian football legend Pele remains in intensive care but is making a satisfactory recovery after undergoing surgery for a suspected colon tumour.</p>
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The doctors treating Pele at the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo said in a statement that he was "actively conversing and displaying vital signs within normal range."</p>
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The 80-year-old, whose real name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento, underwent surgery last week and has been recuperating in an intensive care unit, according to his doctors.</p>
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"My friends, with each passing day I feel a little better," Pelé wrote in an Instagram post on Friday.</p>
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"I'm looking forward to playing again, but I'm still going to recover for a few more days," he joked.</p>
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"While I'm here, I take the opportunity to talk a lot with my family and to rest. Thanks again for all the loving messages. We'll be together again soon!"</p>
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The hospital said Pele is expected to be moved from intensive care to a recovery room on Tuesday.</p>
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The suspected tumour was detected during routine tests, according to the hospital, where Pele has been undergoing treatment since August 31.</p>
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Considered by many the greatest footballer of all time Pele has had mobility issues since undergoing hip surgery in 2012, and has been forced to use walking aids and wheelchairs.</p>
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The only player in history to win three World Cups (1958, 1962 and 1970), Pele hit world fame as a precocious 17-year-old with spectacular goals, including two in the final against hosts Sweden, as Brazil won the World Cup for the first time in 1958.</p>
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He remains Brazil’s all-time top scorer with 77 goals from 92 matches. He was displaced as the top international scorer in South American history only this week by Lionel Messi.</p>