SAO PAULO (REUTERS) - Brazilian soccer legend Pelé left hospital on Saturday after undergoing prostate surgery and tests showed he has a benign condition.

Pelé, 74, whose given name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento, left Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein at around 6.30 pm local time, a statement from the hospital said.

This was the second time the former footballer has been hospitalised in six months.

With more than 1,280 career goals, and an unequaled three World Cup titles during his playing career, Pelé is widely considered the greatest soccer player of all time.

He was recuperating after a transurethral resection of the prostate, a procedure that involves the removal of an internal part of the prostate gland.

Pelé had been treated for benign prostatic hyperplasia, or enlargement of the prostate, and tests undertaken after surgery indicated that no tumours were found.