Brazilian football great Pele said he was in good health in a video recorded at the Sao Paulo hospital where he has been treated for a urinary tract infection.
"I know everybody worried about my health, but I'm OK," he said in English, extending an invitation to fans around the world to visit the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
"We're going to participate in the Games together," he said.
The three-time World Cup champion has been in the hospital for nearly two weeks and alarmed many when he was moved into a wing used for more intensive care.
In the hospital's most recent update, doctors said on Thursday that his health was improving and they had removed a catheter used for dialysis.
The 74-year-old Pele, born Edson Arantes do Nascimento, has suffered a series of health problems in the past decade that, among other things, have led to emergency eye surgery for a detached retina and a hip replacement.
Image: Brazilian soccer legend Pele
Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images