Pele has prostate surgery, expected to leave hospital Saturday

SAO PAULO — Brazilian soccer legend Pele is expected to be released on Saturday after undergoing prostate surgery, the hospital treating him in Sao Paulo said on Friday.

In a statement, the Albert Einstein Hospital said Pele was recuperating well after a transurethral resection of the prostate. The hospital said Pele had been treated for benign prostatic hyperplasia, or enlargement of the prostate, and that no tumors were found.

According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health’s website, the procedure involves removing an internal part of the prostate gland.

This was the second time Pele, 74, has been hospitalized in six months.

Pele, whose given name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento, was released from the same hospital in early December following a two-week stay with kidney problems.

With more than 1,280 career goals, and an unequaled three World Cup titles during his playing career, Pele is considered by many the greatest soccer player of all-time.