Maradona taken to hospital in Argentina

BUENOS AIRES -- Diego Maradona was admitted to hospital on Monday because of an undisclosed health condition, just three days after celebrating his 60th birthday.

The former Boca Juniors, Barcelona and Napoli forward was taken to the Ipensa clinic in La Plata, near Buenos Aires, where he will remain under observation for at least three days, his doctor Leopoldo Luque said.

"He is not well psychologically and that has an impact on his physical wellbeing," Luque told reporters. "He's not as well as I would like and as well as I know he can be. He needs help, this is the time to help him."

Details of the ailment were not revealed, however local media reported it was not related to COVID-19.

Maradona, who is now the head coach of Argentinian first division club Gimnasia y Esgrima, spent most of his birthday at home after one of his bodyguards showed symptoms of COVID-19.

He emerged to make a fleeting appearance at Gimnasia's Juan Carmelo Zerillo stadium, where he was presented with a commemorative plaque before his team's opening league match of the season against Patronato.

However, he looked unwell and left the stadium before kickoff to watch Gimnasia's 3-0 victory from his home.

"Diego is a person who is sometimes excellent and sometimes not so much," Luque added. "He could be 10 thousand times better. And bringing him here helps him."

Widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers in history, Maradona has struggled with a series of health issues since retiring as a player in 1997.

In 2004, the 1986 World Cup winner was hospitalized with severe heart and respiratory problems related to a long battle with drug addiction. He has also undergone two gastric bypass operations to control his weight and received treatment for alcohol abuse.

In 2019, Maradona had surgery to stop bleeding in his stomach and also underwent a knee operation.