Concerns for Diego Maradona after 'emergency' health development
Argentine football great Diego Maradona will undergo surgery for a subdural haematoma, a blood clot on the brain, his personal physician told reporters on Tuesday, after he was admitted to hospital a day earlier.
The operation was expected to begin within hours to address the condition, which is a pool of blood, often caused by a head injury, that can put pressure on the brain.
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Leopoldo Luque, Maradona's personal physician, said the procedure was a "routine surgery".
"We are going to operate today. He is lucid, he understands, he agrees with the intervention," Luque said.
Luque added that Maradona will be transferred to Olivos Clinic in Buenos Aires province.
Maradona, 60, was admitted to the Ipensa clinic in La Plata, Argentina on Monday for anaemia and dehydration.
Fans gather outside awaiting news on Maradona
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.
BREAKING: Football icon Diego Maradona to undergo emergency surgery in Argentina tonight to remove a blood clot on his brain. Seems a very serious situation - wish him all the best for a successful op & recovery. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/HDaTO0MXm0
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) November 3, 2020
DIEGO MARADONA I LOVE YOU FOREVER YOU ARE A LEGEND. STAY STONG BROTHER pic.twitter.com/Ejb52Fg5eU
— The Iron Sheik (@the_ironsheik) November 3, 2020
Diego Maradona will undergo emergency surgery in Argentina tonight to remove a blood clot on his brain.
Get well soon, big man. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/U12TKFhhLR— Football Tweet (@Football__Tweet) November 3, 2020
BREAKING: Reports in Argentina say Diego Maradona has suffered bleeding on his brain and will undergo emergency surgery.
Get well soon Diego! 🙏 pic.twitter.com/nrZH4O0acG— Footy Accumulators (@FootyAccums) November 3, 2020
Dozens of fans of 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 of Maradona's health.
"What we want the most is for Diego to get out of all this. He can, he is the greatest, the greatest in the world," said Diego Bermudez, 41, a Maradona fan waiting outside the hospital.
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