A mural of soccer stars Diego Maradona, left, and Lionel Messi adorns a wall in La Boca neigborhood in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sunday, May 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Maradona requested alcohol and ‘tore out his own IVs’ in days after surgery
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) 鈥 The director of the clinic where Diego Maradona had surgery two weeks before his death in 2020 testified Tuesday that the Argentine soccer star requested alcohol during the post-operative period and was difficult to deal with, which made his subsequent recovery in home care inadvisable.
A mural of soccer stars Diego Maradona, left, and Lionel Messi adorns a wall in La Boca neigborhood in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sunday, May 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) 鈥 The director of the clinic where Diego Maradona had surgery two weeks before his death in 2020 testified Tuesday that the Argentine soccer star requested alcohol during the post-operative period and was difficult to deal with, which made his subsequent recovery in home care inadvisable.
Pablo Dimitroff, medical director of the Olivos Clinic, said that neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque, one of requested 鈥渁 place鈥 so the former player could undergo surgery in early November 2020.
Maradona had surgery for a hematoma that formed between his skull and brain and stayed in intensive care at Olivos between Nov. 4-11. He then was sent recover to a private home where at age 60.
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The deficiencies in Maradona鈥檚 home care are one of the prosecution鈥檚 key pieces of evidence against the defendants. from the Olivos Clinic.
Dimitroff said the surgery was not 鈥渁n emergency,鈥 although there were indicators 鈥渢hat it was necessary at some point.鈥
The operation was performed by a neurosurgeon at that center and it was routine, according to the medical director.
After the surgery, the former player displayed a 鈥渄ifficult鈥 temperament during his stay in intensive care and 鈥渄id not understand that he had to stay still,鈥 Dimitroff said. He added that on Nov. 6, Maradona had 鈥渁 complex psychomotor excitation episode鈥 that resembled alcohol withdrawal, which was what he was demanding, the manager indicated.
鈥淲e were dealing with an aggressive patient who tore out his own IVs; he was a very difficult patient to take home,鈥 Dimitroff stated.
Dimitroff explained that he discussed the situation with Luque and Agustina Cosachov 鈥 Maradona鈥檚 psychiatrist, who is also on trial 鈥 and with the former soccer player鈥檚 family.
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According to Dimitroff, both Luque and Cosachov requested sedation for Maradona which was carried out at the clinic for approximately 24 hours.
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