Brazilian football great Pele has prostate surgery

Brazilian football legend Pele has undergone surgery for an enlarged prostate and is in a Sao Paulo hospital pending exams to determine whether he can be released, media reports said Thursday.

Pele, 74, had the surgery Tuesday after checking into the Albert Einstein Hospital, the same facility that treated him for two weeks in December for a urinary infection, Globoesporte said.

The hospital told AFP there was "still no official bulletin" on his health.

Pele, whose real name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento, is widely regarded as the greatest player of all time.

The only player to win three World Cup titles, he was named the athlete of the century by the International Olympic Committee in 1999.

He underwent surgery for kidney stones at the same hospital on November 13 and was released two days later.

After developing an infection, he was placed in intensive care for five days.

His only kidney -- the other was removed following an injury during his playing days -- had stopped working and he had to be treated with hemodialysis, a procedure that involves filtering a patient's blood through an artificial kidney.
Source: AFP