Pele 'conscious', 'recovering satisfactorily' after surgery: Medical team

Rio de Janeiro: Brazilian football legend Pele remains in an intensive care unit and is recovering satisfactorily almost a week after surgery to remove a tumour from his colon, the medical team treating him said late on Friday.

Pele "is conscious, conversing actively and is maintaining normal vital signs," a statement from the Alberto Einstein hospital in Sao Paulo said.

In a separate social media post, the 80-year-old three-time World Cup winner said he was feeling better and joked he still had hopes of playing again.

"My friends, with each passing day I feel a little better," he said on Instagram. "I'm looking forward to playing again, but I'm still going to recover for a few more days."

"While I'm here, I take the opportunity to talk a lot with my family and to rest."

The 80-year-old underwent the procedure at Sao Paulo's Albert Einstein hospital on September 4 after his doctors discovered the tumor during his annual medical and he was operated on last Saturday. It was not clear if the tumour was cancerous.

The former Santos and New York Cosmos player was famous for rarely getting injured, but he has suffered from hip problems for years and cannot walk unaided.

His public appearances were already being cut before the COVID-19 pandemic and since then he has made few unnecessary forays outside his house near Santos.

His son last year said his famous father was depressed, something the star quickly denied.

Pele has battled a series of health problems in recent years and has rarely been seen in public since undergoing hip replacement surgery in 2012.