Reports: Brazil legend Pele re-enters ICU

April 02, 2019 Brazilian football legend Pele takes part in a meeting with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and France national football team forward Kylian Mbappe (unseen) at the Hotel Lutetia in Paris [AFP]

Brazil soccer legend Pele has re-entered an intensive care unit at Sao Paulo's Albert Einstein Hospital, ESPN Brasil reported on Friday, in an apparent deterioration of his health after he left the unit earlier this week.

The hospital said it had no new information.

ESPN Brasil said Pele, an 80-year-old, three-time World Cup winner, was re-admitted to the ICU due to acid reflux. He had a colon tumor removed this month and was transferred out of the ICU on Tuesday.

After leaving the ICU, he said in a message to fans on Instagram that he was ready for "90 minutes, plus extra time."

Pele has suffered from hip problems for years and cannot walk unaided. His public appearances were already being cut before the COVID-19 pandemic and since then he has made few unnecessary forays outside his house near Santos.