(Video from December 2021) Encouraging news about Pelé’s health 1:45 (CNN) –– Soccer legend Pelé was hospitalized again in Sao Paulo on Monday night to continue treatment for colon cancer that began last September, the Albert Einstein hospital reported in a statement on Tuesday. Pelé’s state of health is “good and stable”, according to the medical report. The Brazilian star is also expected to be released in “the next few days”, according to the hospital team. Pelé, 81, has been hospitalized several times in recent months due to health complications. In September 2021, he underwent surgery to remove a tumor from his colon, which doctors detected during routine exams. Then, on December 8, Pelé re-entered the hospital and was released before Christmas. On January 19, he returned to the medical center to continue his treatment and was released the next day. The three-time World Cup winner, who burst onto the international stage as a teenager during the 1958 World Cup, has held public attention even after his retirement, through international product sponsorships and as an outspoken public figure. In 2000, FIFA named Pelé the Player of the Century, an award he shared with Argentina’s Diego Maradona.