Edinho, the son of Brazilian and footballing legend Pele, gave an interview to Globoesporte in which he gave heartbreaking details about his father’s health.
The 79-year-old has unfortunately been dealing with health issues for a while now. After undergoing hip replacement surgery, the South American icon has been unable to walk unaided, needing a frame and often being seen publicly in a wheelchair.
The three-time World Cup winner has dealt with several other issues as well, from a right-kidney removal in 1977 to a urinary infection last year.
And according to his son, this has been detrimental to his mental health, revealing that he suffers from depression and is too embarrassed to leave his house.
"He’s pretty fragile," Edinho said to Globoesporte. "He had a hip replacement and didn’t have an adequate or ideal rehabilitation.
"So he has this problem with mobility and that has set off a kind of depression. Imagine, he’s the king, he was always such an imposing figure, and today he can no longer walk properly. Only with help. He is very shy, very embarrassed about it.
"It improved a little compared to that recent time when he was in a wheelchair, but he still has a lot of difficulty walking.
"He’s embarrassed, he doesn’t want to go out, be seen, or do practically anything that involves leaving the house. He is reclusive."
It is a shame to see a man considered as the greatest footballer ever, a man who has been the face of the beautiful game for years, suffer like this. Pele, with three World Cup titles, is the Selecao’s all-time leading scorer and has netted a world record of 1,281 goals across his 21-year career. We hope to see the 79-year-old recover quickly.
