Pele was admitted to hospital at the beginning of September to remove a tumour in his colon; Brazilian football legend spent nearly a month in hospital before being discharged on Thursday; doctors say 80-year-old is "stable" and will continue chemotherapy
Thursday 30 September 2021 23:03, UK
Brazilian football legend Pele has been discharged from hospital after receiving treatment for nearly a month.
The 80-year-old had a tumour removed from his colon on September 4 and spent days in intensive care following the surgery.
But doctors at the Albert Einstein Hospital said Pele was "stable" and would "continue with chemotherapy" after being discharged.
Writing on Instagram on Thursday night, Pele said: "When the path is difficult, celebrate each step of the journey. Focus on your happiness.
"It's true that I can't jump anymore, but these past few days, I've been punching the air more times than usual. I am so happy to be back at home.
"I want to thank the entire Albert Einstein Hospital team, who made my stay a pleasant one, with a humane and very affectionate welcome.
"Thanks also to all of you who, from afar, make my life complete with so many messages of love."
Pele was previously discharged from intensive care on September 14 but returned later that week after taking a "little step back".
The forward helped Brazil to World Cup glory in 1958, 1962 and 1970 and is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time.
He is his country's leading scorer with 77 goals in 92 games, although Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar has scored 69 goals for Brazil and will be eyeing the record.
Officially, Pele scored 757 goals during a glittering career, although Santos - where he spent the majority of his club career - claim his tally was closer to 1,000.
He is behind only Cristiano Ronaldo and Josef Bican on the official all-time top goalscorers list.
