Diego Maradona, who turned 60 last Friday, was taken to a hospital in La Plata, Argentina on Monday for anemia and dehydration.
He was then transferred to a private hospital in the Olivos district of Buenos Aires, and early on Tuesday, the doctor in charge, Leopoldo Luque, said his condition had improved.
But later on Tuesday, during an X-ray examination, a blood clot was discovered in the brain and an operation was performed which was described as successful but there were complications.
Maradona suffers from both depression and withdrawal problems.
Doctors have now been forced to put down Argentina's greatest legends of all time because he wants to leave the hospital before the treatment has taken full effect.
Extreme interest in Maradona's condition
- He wants to leave the hospital but he has to stay.
This was one of the few times we said no to Diego, says Luque who is extremely attentive at the moment.
The congestion and chaos during his short press meetings is very noticeable despite the prevailing corona pandemic.
An entire nation is following developments around Maradona.
Due to the severe withdrawal problem, Maradona has behaved confused.
Luque does not want to go into what kind of abstinence the 60-year-old suffers from, but Maradona has been banned from doping and had a drug and alcohol abuse.
His unhealthy life has meant that the moody Maradona has had several periods of hospital stays and health clinics.
- Diego is very, very difficult to deal with.
You can not guess.
We are trying to be stronger than he is, Luque says according to Reuters.
Maradona is now the coach of the Argentine Gimnasia y Esgrima.
He met the players at the team's training facility in connection with his 60th birthday last Friday, but is said to have had major problems walking and stayed for only half an hour.