This Oct 17, 2020, handout screengrab taken from a video released by Pele's Press Office shows the Brazilian former football player Edson Arantes do Nascimento, know as Pele, speaking to the camera in Santos, Sao Paulo State, Brazil. (JOE FRAGA / PELE'S PRESS OFFICE / AFP)

RIO DE JANEIRO - Brazilian football legend Pele will remain in hospital beyond a scheduled stay because of a urinary infection, doctors treating him said on Monday.

The 81-year-old was admitted to Sao Paulo's Albert Einstein hospital on February 13 to continue chemotherapy after surgery to remove a tumor from his colon in September.

In January, the former Santos and New York Cosmos star Pele said he was feeling well and ready for "the next game", alluding to upcoming chemotherapy sessions

"His clinical conditions are stable and his release should take place in the next few days," read a statement issued by the hospital.

In January, the former Santos and New York Cosmos star said he was feeling well and ready for "the next game", alluding to upcoming chemotherapy sessions.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Pele scored a world record tally of 1,281 goals in a 1,363-match professional career that spanned 21 years.

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He was capped 91 times for Brazil, scoring 77 international goals.