La Plata (Argentina) (AFP)

Diego Maradona, Argentine football legend, will be operated on Tuesday for a hematoma on the head, five days after celebrating his sixtieth birthday, a "routine operation" according to his doctor.

"I'm going to operate. It's a routine operation," said Dr Leopoldo Luque, during a brief press conference in front of a private clinic in La Plata, 60 km south of the capital, where the he Argentine idol was admitted for exams on Monday.

"He is lucid, he understands. He totally agrees. He is very quiet," added the practitioner of the Argentine star who celebrated his 60th birthday on Friday.

Diego Maradona is due to be transferred by ambulance to the Olivos clinic, a facility in northern Buenos Aires for surgery after a CT scan revealed the presence of the hematoma.

Repeating that the extraction of a subdural hematoma, located in the head, is a "routine operation", Dr Luque recalled that the former Argentine president Cristina Kirchner (2008-2015) had undergone the same operation during his tenure.

"He is an elderly patient with a lot of pressures in his life. This is a time when we have to help him. It is very difficult to be Maradona," added the doctor.

Earlier in the day, Dr. Luque had indicated that the ex-player suffered "from anemia" and was "a little dehydrated".

"We must correct this and ensure that his health continues to improve," said the practitioner, stressing that the former N.10 had "had a good night" and was "much better".

As soon as the Argentinian star was hospitalized, he had ruled out any link with the coronavirus epidemic which has hit Argentina hard.

Asked if the hematoma could have been the result of a stroke, the doctor said "patients generally don't remember" what could have been the cause.

"These are imperceptible hematomas," he said.

- #FuerzaDiego -

Confined since March due to the coronavirus pandemic and his fragile health, Diego Maradona, technical director of the local club (Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata), had insisted on Friday to lead the training of his players, on his birthday.

But he didn't seem in good shape and was walking with difficulty.

He only stayed a few minutes on the pitch before retiring with the help of his assistants.

During the day, supporters of the club came to leave messages of encouragement to the address of the 1986 world champion (in Mexico) and wishes for a speedy recovery.

The keyword #FuerzaDiego (Courage Diego) has spread on social networks.

The life of the Argentine star has been punctuated by many health problems, some of which are linked to excesses of all kinds which have sometimes made him flirt with death.

In 2000, he had a heart attack following an overdose in the Uruguayan seaside resort of Punta del Este.

He then followed a long cure in Cuba.

In 2004, when he weighed over 100 kg, another heart attack struck him down in Buenos Aires, but he was okay.

He had then undergone surgery on his stomach which had allowed him to lose a lot of weight.

Dr Luque also explained that due to this intervention, the former champion had difficulty fixing the iron, which made him more sensitive to the risks of anemia.

In 2007, excessive alcohol consumption had driven him to the hospital.

Lately, he had to have a prosthesis fitted because of his sore knees.

Much like Brazilian Pelé, who turned 80 in October, Maradona is considered one of the greatest soccer players of all time.

© 2020 AFP