Brazilian football legend Pele, 80, was briefly transferred back to an intensive care unit on Friday after suffering breathing difficulties but is now stable, said the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo, where he underwent surgery earlier this month. 

The transfer was a temporary “preventative measure,” the hospital said in a statement, adding that the sporting great was later transferred to “semi-intensive care” as he continues to recover from surgery for a suspected colon tumor. “He is currently stable from a cardiovascular and respiratory point of view,” it added.