Rio de Janeiro, Dec 26 (IANS): Brazilian football legend Pele took to social media to send a Christmas message to his followers, two days after his release from a Sao Paulo hospital.

"Today I hope you are living moments of love, peace and unity, just like me. Merry Christmas my friends," Pele said on Instagram on Saturday.

The post was accompanied by a photograph of the 81-year-old smiling alongside his partner Marcia Aoki.

Local media reported that Pele spent Christmas day at his home in Guaruja, a coastal town around 90km southeast of Sao Paulo, Xinhua reports. Pele was discharged from the Albert Einstein hospital on Thursday (December 23) after more than two weeks of treatment for a colon tumour.

Details of his condition were not disclosed but the hospital previously said the three-time World Cup winner would require chemotherapy after undergoing surgery to remove the tumour in September.

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. He was capped 91 times for Brazil and scored 77 international goals.