Maradona to remain in hospital after suffering confusion

BUENOS AIRES -- Argentinian football legend Diego Maradona will remain in hospital as he receives treatment for "abstinence" following brain surgery, his doctor said on Thursday.

The 60-year-old has been under observation at the Olivos clinic north of Buenos Aires since undergoing a procedure to remove a blood clot on the brain on Tuesday.

"We saw that Diego had episodes of confusion in the postoperative period," Leopoldo Luque, Maradona's personal physician, told reporters.

"We associate this with a withdrawal condition. In line with the (other) doctors, we believe that a treatment for abstinence must be carried out. This will last a few days."

Luque did not provide further details of the condition, but Maradona has previously battled drug and alcohol addiction. He added that Maradona was recovering "very well" from the operation.

Widely recognized as one of the best footballers of all time, Maradona has suffered a long list of health problems since ending his playing career 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.