• Three-time World Cup winner in hospital in São Paulo • Pelé believed to have had transurethral resection of the prostate

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

The Brazilian football legend Pelé has undergone prostate surgery and is in stable condition, a São Paulo hospital said on Thursday. This is the second time Pelé, 74, has been hospitalised in six months.

In a statement, the Albert Einstein hospital said Pelé had undergone a transurethral resection of the prostate. According to the US National Institutes of Health’s website, the procedure involves removing an internal part of the prostate gland in order to treat an enlarged prostate.

Earlier in the day, the local news site Globo Esporte said Pelé had a prostate condition known as hyperplasia, which it said increases the risk of a urinary infection. The report did not cite sources.

Pelé, whose given name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento, was released from the same hospital in early December following a two-week stay with kidney problems.

With more than 1,280 career goals, and an unequalled three World Cups during his playing career, Pelé is considered by many the greatest player of all time.