Pelé ‘recovering well’ after going back into intensive care

The footballing icon has posted to Instagram

Brazilian football legend Pelé has posted a statement assuring his fans that he is recovering well after spending time in intensive care recently, with his daughter describing his brief return to the ICU as 'a little step back'. The 80-year-old first went into intensive care to have a tumour surgically removed from his colon earlier this month. He was expected to return home from the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo on Tuesday, but as reported in Brazil, had to return on Friday. The three-time World Cup winner has now issued a statement from his official Instagram account, reassuring his followers that he is on the road to recovery. "My friends, I am still recovering very well. Today I received visits from family members and I continue to smile every day. Thank you for all the love I get from you," he said. https://www.instagram.com/p/CT8Mf_SgW2A/ His daughter, Kely Nascimento, also provided an update on her father's health. "There's already a lot of anxiety roaming the world these days and we don't want to be the reason for more," she wrote on Instagram in a post. https://www.instagram.com/p/CT73Nm7BiiK/?utm_source=ig_embed "This photo was taken just now. He is wearing a vest because he is Santista and the cold in SP bothers him! He is recovering well and within normal range. Promise! "He doesn't like it when I say this so please don't tell him but he is an O'Keefe (sic) gentleman. The normal recovery scenario for a man of his age, after an operation like this, is sometimes two steps forward and one step back. "Yesterday (Thursday) he was tired and took a little step back. Today he took two forwards! I want to thank again, and always, the brilliant team here at Einstein and even more gratitude for all of the good energy that you are transmitting."