Baghdad (AFP)

Iraqi football legend Ahmed Radhi died on Sunday at 56 of complications from the new coronavirus, said the Iraqi Minister of Health.

The announcement of his death came just hours after his evacuation by plane to Jordan.

Ahmed Radhi was hospitalized in Baghdad a week ago after being tested positive for Covid-19 disease. He left the hospital on Thursday after his health improved.

However, the respite was short-lived and he was readmitted to hospital departments the same day.

In a video a priori filmed on Saturday and circulating on social networks, Ahmed Radhi is struggling to breathe on his hospital bed, surrounded by doctors.

"Sometimes it's not easy to breathe, but it's normal," he said to the doctors, his voice broken.

Iraqi football legend Ahmed Radhi was one of the top scorers for the national team, with whom he scored his country's only goal in the 1986 World Cup final against Belgium (1-2 ).

He also led Iraq to victory in the Gulf Cups in 1984 and especially 1988, where he was named Asian footballer of the year.

In 2006, he fled Iraq to Jordan, when his country was plunged into community violence following the invasion of the United States in 2003.

He returned the following year for a career in politics, becoming a member of parliament, then failing in the 2014 and 2018 elections, where he ran with the National Alliance list, a coalition of Sunni and Shiite figures.

The announcement of his death has caused grief for many football fans, but also in Iraqi and Jordanian sports circles.

"It is with great sadness that we mourn our companion for a lifetime, the legend of our fans, the unrivaled athlete and son of Iraq, Ahmed Radhi," said Iraqi Sport Minister Adnan Dirjal, himself a former big name in Iraqi football.

For Ali al-Hussein, head of the Jordanian Football Association, the world has lost "a sports star we cherish and of whom we are proud."

Iraq has officially registered nearly 30,000 cases of new coronavirus and has passed the 1,000 death mark in recent days, with health infrastructure shaken by years of conflict and overwhelmed by the scale of the pandemic.

© 2020 AFP