Maradona doing well after brain surgery

Fans of Argentina football legend Diego Maradona gather outside the Olivos Clinic in the province of Buenos Aires, where he arrived for surgery on Tuesday. The 1986 World Cup winner, who celebrated his 60th birthday last Friday, is in recovery after
Fans of Argentina football legend Diego Maradona gather outside the Olivos Clinic in the province of Buenos Aires, where he arrived for surgery on Tuesday. The 1986 World Cup winner, who celebrated his 60th birthday last Friday, is in recovery after surgery to treat a blood clot on the brain. PHOTO: EPA-EFE

BUENOS AIRES • Argentinian football great Diego Maradona was in "excellent" condition following surgery for a brain clot yesterday, said his lawyer Matias Morla.

"The last medical report was excellent," he said. "Let's stay strong and we'll get through this."

Maradona, 60, was admitted to hospital a day earlier for an operation to address the clot, often caused by a head injury and which can put pressure on the brain.

"I was able to evacuate the haematoma successfully and Diego tolerated the surgery very well," Leopoldo Luque, Maradona's neurosurgeon and personal physician, told reporters outside the clinic where fans were gathered.

"The steps now are observation, but it is controlled. It will depend on how he does. It is not highly complex, but it is still brain surgery," Luque added, saying the procedure had taken around 80 minutes.

The intervention was potentially risky due to the former footballer's delicate general health, though Luque earlier said the procedure was "routine surgery" and that Maradona had been "lucid" and understood and agreed with the procedure.

Maradona was admitted to the Ipensa Clinic in La Plata, Argentina, on Monday for anaemia and dehydration, before being transferred to Olivos Clinic in Buenos Aires province.

Around 50 fans gathered in front of the clinic, in the suburbs of the capital Buenos Aires, celebrated when reports of the successful outcome started to emerge, chanting: "Diego, Diego!"

Maradona, who won the World Cup with Argentina in 1986 and is widely considered to be one of the greatest players of all time, coaches local club Gimnasia y Esgrima. He last appeared in public on his 60th birthday last Friday before his side's league match against Patronato.

Dozens of fans from Gimnasia y Esgrima have converged on the hospital since Monday evening, waving flags and holding posters with messages of support as they waited for news.

"What we want the most is for Diego to get out of all this. He can be, he is the greatest, the greatest in the world," said Diego Bermudez, 41, a Maradona fan waiting outside the hospital.

Another fan, Oscar Medina, said: "Diego is fighting inside with medics. Hopefully God blesses the medics, to move on from this. His people are out here on the street, hearts beating."

REUTERS

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on November 05, 2020, with the headline Maradona doing well after brain surgery. Subscribe