Legendary Brazilian footballer Pele on Saturday said that he was feeling 'strong' and urged everyone to remain 'calm and positive' after unconfirmed reports of him being moved to end-of-life support emerged. The only player to have won three football World Cups, Pele has been undergoing treatment for colon cancer, but after a Brazilian newspaper on Saturday reported that the 82-year-old is receiving palliative care after he stopped responding to chemotherapy, the world started praying for his speedy recovery."My friends, I want to keep everyone calm and positive," Pele said in an Instagram post. "I'm strong, with a lot of hope and I follow my treatment as usual."
Doctors treating Pele said earlier Saturday that the Brazilian legend remained "stable," with his condition not having deteriorated over the last day.Pele "has had a good response to care without any worsening in the clinical picture in the last 24 hours," doctors at Sao Paulo's Albert Einstein Hospital said in a statement.Doctors made no reference to media reports earlier on Saturday that the three-time World Cup winner was receiving end-of-life care.Pele was admitted to hospital earlier this week for what doctors said was a "re-evaluation" of the chemotherapy he has been undergoing since surgery to remove a colon tumor in September last year.At the ongoing World Cup in Qatar, players expressed their support for Pele.France striker Kylian Mbappe on Saturday tweeted: "Pray for the King."Nicknamed "O Rei" (The King), he scored more than 1,200 goals in one of the most storied careers in sport, before retiring in 1977.