Pele arrives back in Brazil after leaving Paris hospital
SAO PAULO (AP) — Pele arrived back in Brazil on Tuesday after five days in a Paris hospital and was taken to another hospital in his home country for further exams.
The 78-year-old soccer great is recovering from a urinary infection.
Doctors at the Albert Einstein hospital in Sao Paulo said in a statement that Pele's "infection has been quelled" and that he is in good shape.
The three-time World Cup champion landed in Sao Paulo shortly after 6 a.m. Sitting in a wheelchair while wearing a black jacket and carrying his bag on his lap, Pele said upon arrival he was thankful to fans that called to wish him well.
"Once more, thank God it was all fine," Pele said at the airport.
On Monday, Pele said in a statement that he had undergone surgery in France for "a severe urinary infection," but offered no other details.
Pele has been frequently hospitalized over the last few years for kidney and prostate procedures and was under care in Paris since last Wednesday.
He was taken to the hospital after an event with Kylian Mbappe, the France forward who has drawn comparisons with the Brazilian great after helping his country win the World Cup last year as a teenager.
In November 2014, Pele was in a hospital in Sao Paulo for two weeks, including some time in intensive care, also because of a urinary tract infection.
