Pele 'Punching the Air' and Getting 'Better Every Day'

Soccer great Pele (AP Photo/Nelson Antoine)
Soccer great Pele (AP Photo/Nelson Antoine)
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Pele 'Punching the Air' and Getting 'Better Every Day'

Soccer great Pele (AP Photo/Nelson Antoine)
Soccer great Pele (AP Photo/Nelson Antoine)

Brazilian football legend Pele said Sunday he is "punching the air" to celebrate "every better day" after the 80-year-old suffered his latest health scare.

"As you can see, I'm punching the air in celebration of every better day," Pele wrote on Instagram beside a photograph of him sitting in a hospital chair, watched over by two medical staff.

The three-time World Cup winner was Friday briefly transferred back to an intensive care unit at the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo, where he underwent surgery earlier this month, after suffering breathing difficulties, reported AFP.

"A good mood is the best medicine and I have plenty of that. It couldn't be different," he added Sunday.

"I have received so much affection that my heart is full of gratitude. Thanks to all the amazing staff at Albert Einstein Hospital!"

His condition had been described as stable.

Pele's daughter Kely Nascimento also posted a photo of herself next to her father in the hospital on Friday, seeking to cheer up his fans.

On September 6, the hospital said Pele had undergone surgery for a suspected colon tumor.

"This is the normal recovery scenario for a man his age. After an operation like this, sometimes you take two steps forward, one step back," Nascimento wrote on Instagram.

"Yesterday he was tired and he took a step back. Today, he has taken two steps forward," she added.



Howe Confident Isak Will Stay at Newcastle Despite Transfer Talk

Alexander Isak. (dpa)
Alexander Isak. (dpa)
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Howe Confident Isak Will Stay at Newcastle Despite Transfer Talk

Alexander Isak. (dpa)
Alexander Isak. (dpa)

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe insisted Saturday that Alexander Isak is still a Newcastle player despite speculation around a move to Premier League champions Liverpool.

Isak has not travelled with Newcastle for their pre-season tour of Asia, apparently because of a minor thigh injury, but Howe said the 25-year-old Swedish striker was a key part of his plans.

"Of course, there are always going to be things going on behind the scenes," Howe told reporters in Singapore, where Newcastle play Arsenal on Sunday.

"He is aware he's in the news every day, which I'm sure is not easy for anyone in that situation.

"Conversations between Alex and the club or with me will stay private for obvious reasons. We do share a good relationship," Howe added.

Isak, who scored 23 Premier League goals last season, has been "magnificent for us for as long as he has been with us," said Howe. "And he is very comfortable in the dressing room."

Isak did not travel with the Magpies after the thigh injury kept him out of Newcastle's friendly defeat to Celtic last week.

"He mentioned before the Celtic game that it would be very minimal and nothing too serious," said Howe.

"But he left training very early and didn't feel right. So, he's now back in Newcastle getting that injury assessed."

Howe remained confident that Isak will be wearing black and white when the new season kicks off next month.

"I said after the game against Celtic that I was confident he would stay. I don't see anything that is going to change that opinion of mine at the moment.

"It's football," he added. "And who knows what the future may bring."

The Magpies ended their 70-year trophy drought by winning the Carabao Cup and finished in fifth place in the Premier League last season to secure a return to the Champions League.

"I think once you've experienced that feeling of winning, you want it again. So, we want to do it again as soon as possible, in all the competitions we are in," said Howe.

"We set the bar very high, and there's a lot of ambition within the team."