The latest official medical bulletin from the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo, where Pele was re-admitted on Tuesday, said he was in a stable condition.
However, Folha have reported that the 82-year-old is no longer responding to the chemotherapy he has been undergoing for bowel cancer since last September, and he will not undergo any further invasive tests or treatments as he is in end-of-life care.
Pele had earlier sought to reassure fans in an Instagram post on Thursday, saying that he was making his routine “monthly visit” to hospital. He posted a picture of a Qatar building lit up with a message wishing him a prompt recovery and thanked the World Cup-hostingg nation for “the tribute”.
His former club Santos, Brazilian ex-player Rivaldo and the France international forward Kylian Mbappe were among those tweeting good wishes, joining fans around the world.
England captain Harry Kane said: ‘We send our best wishes to him and all his family from the whole England set-up. He’s an inspiration, an incredible person.’
Pele – whose full name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento – is regarded by many as the greatest footballer of all time.
He won three World Cups with Brazil in 1958, 1962 and 1970, and scored 643 goals in 659 official matches for the Brazilian club Santos. He scored 77 times in 92 games for his country’s national team.
He retired from football in 1977, and has been besetted with health problems in recent years. He was diagnosed with colon cancer in September 2021 and spent two weeks in hospital last December.