Pele recovering from surgery after 'spine issue'

Former Brazil striker Pele remains in hospital in Sao Paulo after undergoing successful back surgery.

The 74-year-old was admitted to the Albert Einstein Hospital on Monday ahead of surgery which eased painful pressure on a nerve in his spinal column. A statement from the hospital was published in O Globo on Saturday and read: "The surgery took place on July 14 without complications, and the recovery period is progressing normally."

Pele underwent an operation on an enlarged prostate at the same hospital in May and was also treated there for a urinary tract infection which stemmed from a kidney-stone removal in November.

The three-time World Cup winner only has one kidney, having had one removed towards the end of his playing career. Pele, born Edson Arantes de Nascimento, is widely considered the greatest footballer of all-time.

He won three World Cups with Brazil in 1958, 1962 and 1970. He scored 77 goals in 92 international matches and claimed to have found the net over 1,000 times during an 18-year career.

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