Former Brazil soccer captain Socrates has died at the age of 57 after suffering an intestinal infection.
Socrates fell ill during a meal on Thursday and was taken to in a Sao Paulo hospital with a suspected case of food poisoning, before being placed in intensive care after it was discovered he had suffered septic shock.
Despite the best efforts of medical staff, he was pronounced dead in the early hours of Sunday morning.
It was the third time in four months that Socrates, who leaves a wife and six sons, had been treated at an intensive care unit since alcohol abuse caused his stomach to haemorrhage in August.
He spent 17 days in hospital in September but had been hoping his health would stabilise ahead of a liver transplant.
Socrates enjoyed a distinguished playing career and represented Corinthians, Botafogo, Fiorentina, Flamengo and Santos, as well as Brazil.
A wonderfully skilful midfielder, Socrates made 60 appearances for his country and scored 22 times, captaining the revered 1982 World Cup team. He also played at the 1986 tournament in Mexico, but never managed to win football's biggest prize.
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