Football icon Pele released from hospital after surgery

Brazilian football legend Pele was released from hospital Saturday following prostate surgery, doctors said, after his latest health scare.

Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo said the 74-year-old was discharged at 6:30 pm (2130 GMT). He was treated at the same facility last year for a severe urinary tract infection.

The only player to win three World Cup titles underwent four days of a surgical procedure known as a transurethral resection of the prostate, which is performed for enlargement of the prostate that causes difficulty urinating.

Media reports said the surgery for an enlarged prostate -- a common condition in aging men -- was aimed at preventing a repeat of the urinary infection that sent Pele to the hospital last year.

The global sports icon has suffered a number of health crises in recent months.

He underwent surgery for kidney stones in November, and then came down with an infection that required treatment in a hospital intensive care unit for several days.

His one remaining kidney -- the other was removed following a rib injury during his playing days -- stopped working and had to be treated with dialysis.

He was also operated on the femur in November 2012.

Pele was named Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Committee in 1999.

The athlete, whose real name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento, is widely regarded as the greatest football player of all time.