Pele In Hospital For Urinary Infection After Procedure To Remove Kidney Stones Earlier This Month

Pele_hospitalized — Earlier this month, Pele had an operation to remove kidney stones. Reuters

Brazilian soccer legend Pele was hospitalized on Monday with a urinary infection, local media reported. This is the second time this month that Pele has been admitted to a hospital for medical treatment.

The 74-year-old former Brazilian national team player, who is widely regarded as the greatest soccer player of all time, was admitted to the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo. Pele was undergoing “medical evaluation” and was “stable,” Sky News reported, citing a spokesman for the Sao Paulo hospital.

Pele underwent a surgery at the same hospital on Nov. 12 to remove kidney stones and was discharged on Nov. 15, The Guardian reported.

Pele was part of a team that won three soccer World Cups -- in 1958, 1962 and 1970. In 1999, he was voted World Player of the Century by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics. In the same year, he was named “Athlete of the Century” by the International Olympic Committee. Pele was also declared a national treasure by former Brazil President Jânio Quadros in 1961.