This happened after he was admitted to hospital in the Argentinian capital Buenos Aires on November 2, a few days after his 60th birthday, with ‘weakened health’. His doctor said the former superstar from Napoli, FC Barcelona and Boca Juniors, among others, had been feeling unwell for a while.
Blood clot in brain
A day after admission, he underwent emergency surgery in another hospital. During a two-hour procedure, a blood clot in his brain was removed.
He had to stay in the hospital for several more days because he sometimes felt confused. According to his personal physician, this was due to ‘abstinence’ due to an alcohol addiction. More than a week after his hospitalization, Maradona was transferred to a rehabilitation clinic. There he was going to follow a drug addiction program.
His death comes as a big shock in the football world and beyond. “I am silent for a moment”, football analyst Youri Mulder told RTL News. “There was always a debate whether Maradona was the greatest or Messi. I think Maradona, with his incredible technique, has been the best footballer in the world.”
Phenomenon
Maradona has been regularly discredited since the mid-1980s for his addiction to alcohol and cocaine, among other things. “He ultimately pays the toll on his way of life,” says Mulder. “He was lived. The alcohol and the drugs.” He refers to the nickname Maradona got early in his football career: El Fenómeno. “He really was a phenomenon.”
