Pele's family gather at his hospital bedside on Christmas Eve

SAO PAULO – Family members spent Christmas on Sunday with Pele at the Sao Paulo hospital where the legendary footballer is battling worsening cancer as well as kidney and heart problems, according to social media posts by his children.

Fans of the player, considered by many to be the greatest of all time, have been expressing hope for his recovery since he was hospitalised in November.

“One more night with him,” Pele’s daughter Kely Nascimento posted on Instagram on Sunday, along with a photo of siblings and other relatives gathered at the Albert Einstein Hospital.

Pele, 82, was not visible in the image.

The message was the same as the one she posted on Friday, seemingly counting down the hours left with her father.

“Even in sadness we just have to be grateful,” she said. “To be grateful for being together, to be grateful for the love of you all, to be grateful for being here now with him. Merry Christmas.”

Also visible in the photo were Pele’s children Flavia, Celeste, Edinho and Joshua, as well as Gemima McMahon, the daughter of one of his wives.

Edinho, Pele’s son – who was recently appointed coach of Brazilian Serie B football club Londrina – arrived at the medical centre on Christmas Eve.

He posted a photo on Instagram showing him holding Pele’s hand, with the caption: “Father... my strength is yours.” Edinho arrived a day after having explained his absence from his father’s side to local media.

“I would like to be present, but I am committed to my mission here. I’m not a doctor, I couldn’t really help much,” he said in an interview published on Friday by the daily Estadao.

That same day, Kely shared a photo of herself hugging her father in the hospital with the caption “one more night together”.

On Wednesday, the hospital announced that Pele’s colon cancer was showing “progression” and he needed “more extensive care to treat kidney and heart failure”.

Earlier that day, his daughters had announced he would not be home for Christmas.

The atmosphere was calm outside the hospital on Saturday, according to AFP.

Pele, born Edson Arantes do Nascimento, has received several messages of support since his hospitalisation, including one from the French star Kylian Mbappe, who called on followers to “pray for the King”.

Pele took the 1958 World Cup by storm when he was 17 years old, netting a hat-trick in the semi-finals and two more goals in the final, catapulting his career and launching the dynasty of the Brazilian national team.

He was hospitalised in Sao Paulo on Nov 29 for what his medical team called a re-evaluation of his chemotherapy treatments, which he has been receiving since having surgery to remove a colon tumour in September 2021.

He posted regularly online during the World Cup, including a message of support to Brazil star Neymar after the Selecao lost to Croatia in the quarter-finals.

After Argentina beat France in the final, Pele hailed the performances of their captain Lionel Messi, Mbappe and surprise semi-finalists Morocco. AFP