Former Brazil soccer star Pele hospitalized again

SAO PAULO, May 7 (Reuters) – Former Brazilian soccer star Pele, 74, has been hospitalized for the second time in six months, a Sao Paulo hospital said on Thursday.

A spokesperson for the Albert Einstein Hospital confirmed Pele was staying there, but declined to elaborate further. An aide for Pele could not be reached immediately.

Local news site Globoesporte said Pele had surgery on Tuesday for a prostate condition known as hyperplasia, which the site said increases the risk of a urinary infection.

The site did not cite any sources.

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, Pele is considered by many the greatest soccer player of all time. (Reporting by Tatiana Ramil; Editing by Peter Galloway)