Diego Maradona, Argentine football legend, underwent successful surgery Tuesday evening for a bruise on the head, five days after celebrating his sixtieth birthday.
“The hematoma was successfully evacuated.
Diego tolerated the surgery well.
He is awake and all is well ”, announced in a press conference his doctor Dr Leopoldo Luque, surgeon of the private clinic in the city of Olivos, north of Buenos Aires, where the operation lasted two hours.
The star had been transferred there after a first hospitalization on Monday in La Plata, 60 km south of the capital.
Groups of supporters had gathered at the gates of the clinic in the town of Olivos, displaying large banners bearing the effigy of their Argentine idol.
They greeted the good news there with songs and euphoria.
One of them, Oscar Medina, had come with his wife “to support the greatest player of all time”.
"Once again, health played a trick on him but he has antibodies to recover with the support of the people," he told AFP, adding a "We love you Diego Armando!"
The keyword #FuerzaDiego (Courage Diego) had spread on social networks, to the address of the 1986 world champion (in Mexico).
"He will remain under observation," said his doctor.
Diego Maradona had been transported to this clinic after a CT scan revealed the presence of the hematoma.
Repeating that the extraction of a subdural hematoma, located in the head, is a "routine operation", Dr. Luque recalled that the former Argentine president Cristina Kirchner (2008-2015) had undergone the same operation during his tenure.
“He's an elderly patient with a lot of pressures in his life.
This is a time when we must help him.
It's very difficult to be a Maradona, ”he added, before the operation.
Dr Luque had indicated that the ex-player suffered "from anemia" and was "a little dehydrated".
Asked if the hematoma could be the consequence of a stroke, the doctor indicated that "patients generally do not remember" what could have been the cause.
“These are imperceptible hematomas,” he stressed.
Confined since March
From the hospitalization of the former N.10, he had ruled out any link with the coronavirus epidemic which has hit Argentina hard.
Confined since March because of the pandemic and his fragile health, Diego Maradona, coach of the club of Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata, had insisted on Friday to lead the training of his players, the day of his 60th birthday.
But he didn't seem in good shape and was walking with difficulty.
He only stayed a few minutes on the pitch before retiring with the help of his assistants.
The life of the Argentine star has been punctuated by many health problems, some of which are linked to excesses of all kinds which have sometimes made him flirt with death.
In 2000, he had a heart attack following an overdose in the Uruguayan seaside resort of Punta del Este.
He then followed a long cure in Cuba.
In 2004, when he weighed over 100 kg, another heart attack struck him down in Buenos Aires, but he was okay.
He had then undergone surgery on his stomach which had allowed him to lose a lot of weight.
Dr Luque also explained that due to this intervention, the former champion had difficulty fixing the iron, which made him more sensitive to the risks of anemia.
In 2007, excessive alcohol consumption had driven him to the hospital.
Lately, he had to have a prosthesis fitted because of his sore knees.
Much like Brazilian Pelé, who turned 80 in October, Maradona is considered one of the greatest soccer players of all time.
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