Maradona ‘Falls Ill’ After Argentina Victory

Legendary Argentinian football star Diego Maradona has always been a colourful, often controversial character. His antics at this year’s World Cup in Russia have been, in turns, amusing, worrying and downright alarming. Pictures of him enthusiastically supporting his national team are circulating the globe prompting many to ask if all is well with the 57 year old footballing legend.

It has been reported that Maradona needed treatment from paramedics following Argentina’s dramatic 2 -1 victory over Nigeria in St Petersburg on June 26th. Shortly before the medical drama, Maradona had been filmed celebrating his team’s winning goal in rather manic fashion, swearing at supporters and gesturing with his middle fingers. This exuberant display prompted the BBC’s Gary Lineker to declare that Maradona was in danger of becoming a “laughing stock”.

Earlier in the tournament, Maradona was seen making what has been described as a clearly racist gesture towards South Korean fans during Argentina’s 1 -1 draw with Iceland. The gesture was witnessed by ITV’s Jacqui Oatley who took to Twitter to declare that all who saw his display had been “stunned” when the legend had pulled his eyes to the side in response to the South Korean fans shouting his name.

So what is the truth behind Maradona’s recent behaviour? Despite reports that he had been hospitalised following the drama at the St Petersburg Stadium, the star himself declared on his Instagram page that he had only been treated at the scene and that he was “fine”. He went on to say that he had felt unwell at half-time in the game and had been advised to go home. In typical Maradona style however, he opted to stay for the second half as he was enjoying the football too much.

As one of the most famous Number 10’s in footballing history, Maradona spectacularly fell from grace in 1994 when he failed a mandatory drugs test and was sent home from USA ’94 in disgrace. It is well documented that he has battled with addictions and obesity ever since.

Despite all the drama of St Petersburg, the star was pictured on a private jet bound for Moscow on Wednesday 27th June, no doubt preparing himself to just as enthusiastically support his beloved Argentina in the next round of Russia 2018. We wish him well and look forward to seeing more of his entertaining celebrations in the weeks to come.