Pele's condition improving post being taken off intensive kidney treatment

Brazilian football legend Pele has been taken off intensive kidney treatment and his condition is improving, according to the Sao Paulo hospital that is treating him.

A statement from Albert Einstein Hospital said that renal assistance was suspended until Monday, when they would again evaluate the need for it.

The 74-year-old former footballer was described as 'lucid' and 'doing well', but 'still in intensive care', The BBC reported.

Pele had been undergoing hemodialysis, a procedure that involves filtering a patient's blood through an artificial kidney that cleans it before returning it to the body.

Certain local media had been reporting since Thursday night that 'O Rei' or 'The King' was suffering from 'septicaemia' after not responding to the antibiotics and described his condition as delicate.

Pele, whose real name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento, is widely regarded as the greatest player of all time. He was admitted to hospital last Monday, diagnosed with a urinary infection and given intravenous antibiotics.

On Thursday, the hospital said that he had been placed in intensive care after his condition became clinically unstable causing widespread alarm. However, Pele insisted that he was fine and had simply been moved to another room for more privacy.

Pele said in his posts on Facebook and Twitter that he wants to take this opportunity to let people know that he is doing fine, adding that he is blessed to receive his fans' love and support, and thanked God that this is nothing serious.

Pele posted that he was simply relocated to a special room within the hospital for privacy purposes only, adding that while he appreciates all the visitors that came to see him, he really needs to continue his treatment and recovery in peace.

Pele initially underwent surgery for kidney stones at the same hospital on November 13, the report added.