SAO PAULO : Football legend Pele has been discharged from the hospital after two weeks of chemotherapy for a colon tumor, the Brazilian confirmed on Thursday.

Considered by many to be the greatest footballer of all time, Pele has been in poor health in recent months and has had quite a few stints in the hospital. “The smiling photo is not for nothing. As I promised you, I will spend Christmas with my family. I’m coming back home. Thanks for all the kind messages,” Pele wrote on his Instagram.

On August 31, Pele was hospitalized for medical tests at the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo, which revealed a tumor. The 81-year-old then underwent successful surgery on September 4 to remove a tumor on the right side of his colon. He at that time spent a month in the hospital before being discharged to continue chemotherapy.

Pele is the only player in history to win three World Cups (1958, 1962, and 1970). He burst onto the global stage at just 17 with dazzling goals, including two in the final against hosts Sweden, as Brazil won the World Cup for the first time in 1958.