Diego Maradona is recovering well from brain surgery and is already pressuring doctors to let him go home, his personal physician, Leopoldo Luque, said on Thursday.
The Argentina icon underwent surgery on a blood clot on the brain this week, with the operation deemed a ‘success’ despite worry issues caused by his history with drugs and alcohol.
The footballing legend, widely regarded as one of the best to ever play the game, had a subdural hematoma – an accumulation of blood between a membrane and his brain, according to Luque.
Diego Maradona is recovering well from brain surgery and already wants to return home (pictured in January 2020)
The football legend had a blood clot removed during an operation in Argentina this week
And the 60-year-old’s physician has provided an update on the star’s wellbeing, revealing that he is already seeking to return home.
‘The recovery continues to go very well,’ Luque told reporters outside the Buenos Aires clinic where Maradona was staying. ‘He is very keen to leave, he feels like he is ready to be discharged.’
Luque said doctors want Maradona to stay another day and recover from Tuesday’s operation on a subdural haematoma, a blood clot on the brain.
However, the former Barcelona, Napoli and Boca Juniors player could still leave the clinic and head home later on Thursday.
‘He can walk, he is speaking to me, he is much more lucid,’ Luque added, less than a week after Maradona looked weak and ponderous before a match in Buenos Aires.
Maradona’s personal doctor Leopoldo Luque (pictured) says he is recovering well and is pressuring doctors to let him return home
Fans have been praying for the Argentine football legend’s swift recovery following surgery
Maradona, who won the World Cup with Argentina in 1986 and is considered one of the greatest players of all time, has suffered frequent periods in hospital over the years, often due to his extravagant lifestyle.
Two of Maradona’s five children were quick to take to social media to reassure their father’s fans, with Jana writing: ‘Now life is feeling a little lighter.’
A few minutes later, Dalma posted: ‘I just got out of the clinic I just want to thank everyone for the constant displays of love for my dad, my sister and me. Thanks to everyone who prayed for him!’
Maradona was accompanied to the clinic by his daughters Dalma, Giannina and Jana and other relatives, according to local media in Argentina.
Maradona was originally in La Plata (pictured) before being transferred to Buenos Aires
Maradona’s ex-girlfriend Rocio Oliva has claimed he needs urgent help for alcohol addiction
The footballing world has united to support the Argentine in his recovery from the surgery, with Barcelona star Lionel Messi sending a message of support to Maradona, his former coach with the national team.
‘Diego, all the strength in the world,’ Messi wrote on Instagram. ‘My family and I want to see you well as soon as possible. A hug from the heart!’
Tuesday’s surgery came after the former Napoli star was admitted to another clinic, in the city of La Plata, after suffering anemia and dehydration.
Donato Villani, the head of the Argentina national team’s medical staff, told television channel TyC Sports that such a surgery normally goes smoothly, adding ‘it is different with Diego’ due to Maradona’s past treatment for cardiac problems and his use of drugs and alcohol.
Lionel Messi sent a heartfelt tribute to Diego Maradona on Instagram with a picture of the pair
Messi accompanied the picture on social media with a message: ‘A hug from the heart’
One of his former girlfriends has claimed that Maradona needs ‘urgent’ help for his alcohol addiction, insisting that is the reason for his current health issues.
Rocio Oliva, who spent six years with him and came close to marrying him until their split in 2018, told Super Mitre Deportivo: ‘On September 9 he was admitted for the same reason but this time round he was in a worse condition than before.
‘What’s happening here is simple. You can keep him in hospital three or four days and get him better by hydrating him and giving him vitamins but that’s not the solution.
‘Diego takes sleeping pills, but Diego’s problem is alcohol and it’s well known. Diego is still drinking and whoever says he isn’t is a liar. He needs to be treated for his alcohol addiction.
‘A year ago Diego was a different man. The man we see now can’t speak. He’s got a lot worse.’