SAO PAULO (REUTERS, AFP) - Brazilian football great Pele has been discharged, Sao Paulo's Albert Einstein hospital said on Thursday (Dec 23), and will spend Christmas at home after months of medical issues following an operation to remove a colon tumour.

"The patient is stable and will continue his treatment for a colon tumour that was identified in September," the statement said.

Pele underwent surgery for the tumour on Sept 4, spending a month in the hospital before being discharged to continue chemotherapy.

It is the latest in a string of health troubles for the ageing star, whose public appearances have grown increasingly rare.

On Instagram, the 81-year-old posted a picture of himself smiling. The photo, he wrote, was "not for nothing".

"As I had promised you guys, I will spend Christmas with my family. I'm going home. Thanks for the all the kind messages," he wrote.

In early December, Pele had said he would be home from hospital in days but ended up staying for two weeks.

Considered by many the greatest footballer of all time, Edson Arantes do Nascimento - Pele's real name - is the only player to win three World Cups (1958, 1962 and 1970).

He burst onto the global stage at just 17 by scoring dazzling goals, including two in the final against hosts Sweden, as Brazil won the World Cup for the first time in 1958.

He went on to have one of the most storied careers in sport, scoring more than 1,000 goals before retiring in 1977.

He has suffered from a series of health issues in recent years. Hip surgery left him with recurring pain and he cannot now walk unaided.