Pele, 78, hospitalised in France

Joe Wright

Pele, 78, hospitalised in France image

Pele is receiving treatment for a urinary tract infection in a French hospital, the soccer legend's advisers have confirmed to Omnisport.

It was reported early Wednesday that the 78-year-old had been hospitalized after falling ill in the hours after attending a sponsor event with Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe.

It has been confirmed he is on a course of antibiotics and is not likely to be discharged until the infection has completely cleared up.

Pele, who was treated for a similar condition in a Sao Paulo hospital in 2014, is expected to be released in the next 24 to 48 hours.

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The native of Brazil and three-time World Cup winner, who spent his club career with Santos and the New York Cosmos, is widely considered one of the greatest players in soccer history.

Speaking on Tuesday, Mbappe said he would unlikely ever match Pele's goal-scoring record

"Even with the goals in the playgrounds, goals on the PlayStation, I could never equal 1,250 goals," said the 20-year-old.

"It's really a long way off. I'll try and get as close as I can, but I think it'll still be a long way off by the end of my career."

Joe Wright

Joe Wright Photo

Joe is a Senior Editor at Sporting News. He was previously a sub editor and writer for Goal.com before spending six years as part of the Stats Perform editorial news service, covering major global sports including football, tennis, boxing, NBA, rugby union and athletics. Joe has reported live on some of the biggest games in football, including two UEFA Champions League finals, Euro 2016, the Confederations Cup 2017 and the 2018 World Cup final at the end of a month in Russia.