Pele Reportedly Hospitalised in Paris as Precaution Because of 'Strong Fever'
Pele was hospitalised in Paris on Tuesday evening as a precaution for treating a "strong fever," though it is understood the Brazil legend is not in any life-threatening condition.
RMC Sport (via Eurosport) reported Pele was taken to hospital after appearing at an event organised by Swiss watchmaker Hublot, per Sky News:
Pele attended the event alongside Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe and joked of the France whiz: "I think he is envying me; that's why he is trying to emulate me. His style, the way he is playing, is Latino. Even Brazilian I would say. It's a shame he did not play for Santos (Pele's former club). But it's not too late."
James Whaling of the Mirror also cited RMC and wrote that the three-time World Cup winner (1958, '62, '70) was said to have been feeling unwell Tuesday night.
Sport Witness provided an update Wednesday, saying Pele has yet to leave the Parisian hospital:
Mbappe helped power France to victory at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, becoming the second-youngest player ever to score in the tournament's final during their 4-2 beating of Croatia.
Pele, 78, still holds that honour after netting twice in the Selecao's 5-2 mauling of Sweden 61 years ago, aged 17 years and 249 days.
The pair were poised to meet for the first time in November, but Pele's poor health at the time resulted in an April rescheduling.
MailOnline's Matthew Smith recounted some previous examples of Pele's deteriorating condition. The football great was confined to a wheelchair at the 2018 World Cup draw because of hip pain, while he also made himself unavailable to light the torch at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics for health reasons.
Pele is commonly reported as having scored more than 1,000 goals during his career, playing the vast majority of his club days with Santos before a three-year stint with the New York Cosmos.
Mbappe, 20, is off to a prolific start but doesn't see himself besting Pele's number and said he'd "still be a long way off by the end" of his career.
