BUENOS AIRES (REUTERS) - Argentinian football legend Diego Maradona was discharged from hospital, after being admitted earlier on Friday (Jan 4) with internal bleeding in the stomach which was discovered during routine examinations, his daughter Dalma said.
"For those who were really worried about my dad I can tell you that he is well," she wrote on Twitter after fears over her father's health spread. "He is going home soon."
The 58-year-old was having a routine medical check-up in his homeland before returning to Mexico, where he is coach of second division side Dorados de Sinaloa, when doctors discovered the problem.
However, a source close to the family told Reuters the problem was not serious and that the former Boca Juniors, Napoli and Barcelona midfielder, who famously led his country to the 1986 World Cup title, was not in any danger.
Another source said that Maradona, who left the hospital without talking to the media, may have to undergo more tests.
Friday's scare was the latest for Maradona, who has suffered frequent periods in hospital over the years, often owing to the extravagant lifestyle that helped make him one of the most admired and iconic footballers of the 20th century.
He last fell ill at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, where he was filmed passing out in an executive box at the Argentina-Nigeria group-stage game. Argentina won 2-1 to reach the last 16, where they were knocked out by eventual winners France.
Maradona was taken into hospital in 2004 with severe heart and respiratory problems linked to cocaine use. He later underwent drug rehabilitation in Cuba and Argentina before a stomach-stapling operation in 2005 helped him lose weight.
In 2007 he checked himself into a clinic in Buenos Aires to help him overcome alcohol abuse problems.
In recent months, he has walked with the aid of crutches because of problems with his knees.
The unexpected news of Maradona's admission to hospital on Friday came just hours after his lawyer confirmed that he would coach in Mexico for a second consecutive season.
He took over at struggling Dorados de Sinaloa in September and got them into the play-offs where they lost to Atletico San Luis.
"Diego Maradona has arranged to continue with Dorados de Sinaloa and will stay as coach of the team for the whole season," his agent Matias Morla wrote on Twitter.
The club said his assistant Jose Maria Martinez would lead the team until Maradona returned.
