Brazil soccer star Pele to spend Christmas in hospital as cancer advances

“We decided with the doctors that, for various reasons, it would be better for us to stay here with all the care that this new family at Einstein gives us,” she said in the post.

After Argentina's win in Sunday's World Cup final, Pele posted a picture on social media of their team lifting the trophy and hailed performances from squad leader Lionel Messi, France's rising star Kylian Mbappe, and surprise semi-finalists Morocco.

“Today, football continues to tell its story, as always, in an enthralling way,” he said. “What a gift it was to watch this spectacle of the future of our sport.”

Brazilian players had during a quarterfinal in Qatar unfurled a huge banner on the pitch with an image of the soccer great during his 1970 World Cup win. It simply read: “Pele!”