PELE left fans concerned after he cut a frail figure during the new documentary looking back at his glittering career.
The Brazil legend, 80, is the subject of a new Netflix show charting his life from childhood poverty to the 1970 World Cup winner.
Pele needed a walking frame to make it to his interview during the new Netflix documentary looking back at his lifeCredit: Netflix
Pele gingerly made his way to his seat in the middle of the room with fears over his frail statureCredit: Netflix
But viewers have been left concerned by Pele’s physical stature after he’s seen using a zimmer frame and a wheelchair at various points of the show.
In the opening scene, Pele is only able to reach his seat in front of the camera with the use of a walking frame, before shoving it to one side.
And later on in the show, the goal-scoring icon is spotted arriving at a barbecue in a wheelchair.
Pele underwent hip surgery in December 2015 – with his son, Edinho, admitting the legend is ‘pretty fragile’ due to a lack of rehabilitation after going under the knife.
Edinho told Brazilian TV channel Globo: “He’s pretty fragile.
“He had a hip replacement and didn’t have an adequate or ideal rehabilitation.
“So he has this problem with mobility and that has set off a kind of depression.
“Imagine, he’s the king, he was always such an imposing figure, and today he can’t walk properly.
Pele cut an emotional figure throughout the Netflix showCredit: Netflix
Pele most-famously led Brazil to the 1970 World Cup crownCredit: Alamy
“He’s embarrassed, he doesn’t want to go out, be seen, or do practically anything that involves leaving the house.
“He is reclusive.”
Elsewhere in the documentary, called Pele, the Brazil icon broke down in tears admitting he was ‘no Superman’ as he recalls the pressure he put himself under as a player.
Looking back at the aftermath of the 1970 World Cup win, Pele said: “I don’t think I could have done anything different. It wasn’t possible.
“You get lost in these things. I’m Brazilian. I want what’s best for my people.
“I was no Superman, I didn’t work miracles or anything. I was just a normal person granted the gift of being a football player.
“But I’m absolutely certain I’ve done more for Brazil, with football, in my own way, than many politicians have done.”
A look back at Pele’s glittering career in numbers
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
