Pele celebrates his birthday quarantined, shy of his health

Brazilian legend Pele, who is considered by many to be the greatest player in the history of football, celebrates his 80th birthday on Friday while he is in home quarantine due to the repercussions of the new Corona virus and health problems he has suffered in recent years, but he recalls with his usual smile a busy career as he entered the eighth decade of life.

The "king" has suffered from many health problems in the past years, but he has not lost his charisma or sense of humor.

"I am fine, but the only problem is that I will not be able to play (on my birthday)," he joked during a video interview with the president of the Brazilian Football Association this week.

Pele, the only player in history to win the World Cup title on three occasions (1958, 1962, 1970), confirmed that he plans to celebrate his birthday quietly and away from the clamor, as every year, regardless of the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, Brazil will be keen to honor him at several stations, as an exhibition will be held in his honor at the São Paulo Football Museum, in addition to the unveiling of a mural designed by the famous street painter Cobra in Santos, the city where Pele began his professional career for 15 years in 1955.

The former Brazilian international also recorded a song with the Grammy-winning Mexican duo, Rodrigo and Gabriella, which was described as a "small birthday gift for his fans and his fans".

"I was a child chasing a dream when I saw my father crying after Brazil lost the World Cup 1950," he wrote on his account on "Instagram" on Wednesday. "I promised Dondinho that I would bring this trophy to the country. I joined the national team when I was 16 years old."

He continued, "I was 17 years and 249 days old when I scored twice in the 5-2 victory over Sweden in Stockholm (in the 1958 final). I was the youngest player to play in the World Cup Final. In this World Cup in particular, the number 10 shirt changed my life."

Whether it was the white and black jersey early in his career, or the yellow-green number 10 Brazilian jersey that filled television screens at the start of the broadcast era with color, many of Pele's 1281 goals were an astonishing display of skill and physical strength, setting the standard for "Jogo Bonito." Or the "beautiful play" with which Brazilian football became known.

Pele's legacy is still palpable today. In the year 2000, FIFA chose him as the greatest footballer of the twentieth century, along with Argentine Diego Maradona, who celebrates his 60th birthday on October 30.

Edson Arantes de Nascimento - Pele's real name - was born on October 23, 1940, in the city of Tres Corasuis in southeastern Brazil, and in recent years he has suffered from numerous health problems.

His appearance has become insignificant even before the Corona pandemic forced him to remain quarantine in Brazil, where the epidemic has killed nearly 155,000 people and is the second highest number of deaths in the world after the United States.

In April of last year, he was hospitalized in the French capital, Paris, shortly after participating in a promotional party for one of the watch brands, with Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe.

The Brazilian suffered from a urinary tract infection on that day, and days later he returned to Brazil, where he underwent an operation to remove a stone.

In 2014, he was admitted to intensive care for dialysis after suffering a severe infection in the urinary tract, and he has lived with one kidney since 1977 after doctors had to remove one of them after suffering a fracture of his rib during a football match.

He also did not fully recover from surgery on his hip, which forced him to rely on a device to help him walk.

Last February, his son Edinho revealed that his father suffers from "a kind of depression" and barely leaves the house due to health problems that made him unable to walk normally, adding that he had become "very fragile in terms of movement ... which caused his suffering from a kind of depression."

"Just imagine, he's the king, he's always had a strong personality, and now he can't walk normally. He is ashamed and embarrassed about it," he said.

However, Pele was quick to reassure his fans by saying, "I have good days and fewer others, this is normal for someone my age."

The Brazilian confirmed, in a video he sent to the media on Tuesday, that he was happy with his mental health.

He joked, "I thank God for giving me health in order to reach this age while I am clear-headed, not very smart, but clear-minded."

He continued, "I hope that when I die, God will receive me in the same way that I have been welcomed into the world thanks to football, which we dear to our hearts."

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