INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Three-time World Cup winner Pele is "depressed" and reluctant to leave his house because he cannot walk unaided due to his poor health, his
son has said.The Brazilian, thought by some to be the greatest player in history, will be 80 in October and was treated in Paris in April
for a urinary infection.Pele, full name Edson Arantes do Nascimento, has had hip trouble for some time and now needs a frame to walk, with
many of his recent public appearances seeing him use a wheelchair.Image:Pele (number 10), celebrates winning the 1958 World Cup final in
SwedenImage:Pele (left), seen with modern-day superstar Kylian Mbappe at a sponsor's event in Paris in April"He's embarrassed, he
doesn't want to go out, be seen, or do practically anything that involves leaving the house," his son Edinho told TV Globo in Brazil."He is
very sheepish, reclusive."Edinho said that he had argued with his father because he had not done the physiotherapy called for after a hip
operation."He's pretty fragile
He had a hip replacement and didn't have an adequate or ideal rehabilitation," his son added."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."Image:Pele with Formula One world legend
Michael Schumacher at the 2003 World Cup preliminary drawThis summer will mark the 50th anniversary of the striker's third World Cup
victory, won in Mexico in 1970 with what many people believe is the greatest team of all time.He also played in the Brazil sides that won in
1958 and 1962 and scored a record 1,282 goals in 1,363 games over a 21-year career.
