Pelé is depressed and embarrassed to leave home, announces his son in an interview

Pelé is depressed over his weak health and hesitant to leave the house because he cannot walk without help, according to the Brazil legend’s son, Edinho.

Pelé, who will be 80 in October, has had a hip problem for years and presently requires a frame to walk. Many of his recent public appearances have been in a wheelchair,reports the Guardian.

“He’s pretty fragile. He had a hip replacement and didn’t have an adequate or ideal rehabilitation,” Edinho told TV Globo. “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.

“He’s embarrassed, he doesn’t want to go out, be seen, or do practically anything that involves leaving the house. He is reclusive.” Edinho added that he had argued with his father because he had not done the physiotherapy called for after a hip operation.