Pele living moments of 'love, peace and unity'

RIO DE JANEIRO: Brazilian football legend Pele took to social media on Saturday to send a Christmas message to his followers, two days after his release from a Sao Paulo hospital.

"Today I hope you are living moments of love, peace and unity, just like me. Merry Christmas my friends," Xinhua news agency quoted Pele as saying on Instagram.

The post was accompanied by a photograph of the 81-year-old smiling alongside his partner Marcia Aoki.

Local media reported that Pele spent Christmas day at his home in Guaruja, a coastal town around 90km southeast of Sao Paulo.

Pele was discharged from the Albert Einstein hospital on Thursday (Dec. 23) after more than two weeks of treatment for a colon tumor.

Details of his condition were not disclosed but the hospital previously said the three-time World Cup winner would require chemotherapy after undergoing surgery to remove the tumor in September.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Pele scored a world record tally of 1,281 goals in a 1,363-match professional career that spanned 21 years. He was capped 91 times for Brazil and scored 77 international goals.

-- BERNAMA