Iraqi football legend Ahmed Rady died Sunday at the age of 56, as a result of an infection with the new Corona virus, according to an official at the Ministry of Health.
"The former player, Ahmed Radi, has died," said Seif al-Badr, a spokesman for the Iraqi Ministry of Health.
And a member of the Iraqi Council of Representatives at its previous session last week was subjected to a sudden rise in temperature and severe weakness in his body, which led to his transfer to the hospital and tests that showed his infection with the virus.
His condition deteriorated last Thursday hours after his discharge from the hospital, prompting the doctor supervising his treatment to transfer him again to Al-Numan Hospital in Baghdad.
Radi was preparing today, Sunday, to catch a plane for treatment to the Jordanian capital, Amman, where his family will settle.
In his last statement yesterday, Saturday, Radhi said in a video recording, "I was having trouble sleeping, and today I was able to sleep ... sometimes I feel difficult to breathe and this is normal."
Ahmed Radi's death comes a few weeks after the death of the former international player Ali Hadi, after he contracted the virus.
Ahmed Radi was born on April 21, 1964, and his talents emerged at an early age and starred with the clubs Al-Rashid and Al-Zawra
He continued to shine with the first team in the eighties and nineties as he led him to the World Cup Mexico 1986, the only one in which the Iraqi team participated, as he succeeded in scoring his country's only goal in the World Cup against Belgium.
He also won the Gulf Cup in 1984 and 1988 when he won the award for best player on the Asian continent.
In the third millennium, Ahmed Radi entered politics, becoming a member of the Iraqi parliament and a member of the youth and sports committee in the council.
Turki Al-Sheikh, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi General Entertainment Authority and former head of the Arab Football Federation, tweeted, "May God have mercy on the soul, Ahmed Radi, the star of Iraq ... I gathered in him knowledge and memories who was a lover of the Kingdom ... and he was on high character, great literature and courage."