Brazilian soccer legend Pele has undergone back surgery, a close aide has told reporters, in the latest of a series of recent health problems afflicting the 74-year-old former player.

Pele, whose given name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento, has been at Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein in Sao Paulo for the past “two or three days” and underwent a procedure to decompress a nerve root in his spine, his personal assistant said.

According to GloboNews news channel, Pele is expected to leave the hospital on Monday.

Hospital staff were not immediately available to comment.

This is the third time Pele has been hospitalised since November, when he spent two weeks at the Einstein facility with kidney problems.

In May he underwent prostate surgery in the same hospital.

Reuters