By IANS/EFE,
Brasilia : Brazilian former soccer star Socrates, a member of his country’s World Cup teams in 1982 and 1986, has been hospitalised for the third time this year and is in “critical” condition, doctors said Saturday.
Socrates Brasileiro Sampaio de Sousa Vieira de Oliveira, an icon of Brazilian soccer, was admitted to the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo Thursday, though the news was not made public until Saturday.
According to a communique from the medical staff, Socrates suffered a “septic shock” caused by a bacteria-induced intestinal infection and remains in the intensive care unit where he was put on a respirator.
Socrates, 57, had already been hospitalised twice this year with problems stemming from an excess of alcohol consumption and the ensuing cirrhosis of the liver.
On Sep 22 following his second hospitalisation, he was released after having been kept nine days in an induced coma and breathing with the aid of a respirator due to the seriousness of his condition.
After leaving the hospital he acknowledged his drinking problem publicly and said he wanted to end his addiction.
Socrates, known for his graceful playmaking skills, played almost his whole career with the Sao Paulo club Corinthians, but also had shorter stints with Italy’s Fiorentina and the Brazilian teams Flamengo, Santos and Botafogo.
Socrates became a political activist in the 1970s and 1980s, participating in many protests against the dictatorship that governed Brazil between the years 1964 and 1985.