‘I'm Not Talking Nonsense,' Brazilian Legend Pele Denies Suffering From Depression

Legendary Brazilian soccer player Pele has denied the depression claims saying he was unable to leave his house due to his long-term hip issues.

Last month, 79-year-old Pele’s son, Edinho said in one of his interviews that his father was "embarrassed" to leave home due to his hip issues, which causes "a certain depression". After that interview, Pele’s fans and the media assumed that the legendary striker was undergoing depression issues.

“This depression thing, I don’t know if I was misunderstood. I’ve had some injuries in the past few years. I was operated on, which hindered me from doing commercials or appearing in public. People got concerned, and I thank them very much for that. But then someone came up with this story that I was depressed."

"I arrived here [for the interview] with the help of a walker. I’m fine, but of course, I can’t ride a bike. Maybe when I was injured and had to do an interview, I mentioned I was sad about it. But thank God I’m making a good recovery, I’m fine,” the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner explained to CNN Brazil.

“I had a swollen tendon that forced me to medicate. It hurt a little and moving is a little difficult. But thank God I’m conscious – and not talking nonsense,” Pele, who played for Brazilian club Santos for close to two decades, further added.

While the soccer debates these days revolve around the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo and they might be the best for many fans, one must not forget that their achievements are usually compared to Pele’s. The Brazilian is easily one of the greatest players of all time and in 1999, he was voted the World Player of the Century by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS), and was one of the two joint winners of the FIFA Player of the Century award.