Moscow: Diego Maradona said he is fine Wednesday after sparking a health scare following Argentina’s dramatic late win against Nigeria that saw them progress to the last 16 of the World Cup. In his Instagram account, Maradona said he had fallen ill after bingeing on white wine before the game.
Maradona had been visibly emotional during the match in ST. Petersburg, which Argentina had to win to stay in the tournament. He leaned over the front of the VIP box from where he was watching with friends and made an obscene gesture after Marcos Rojo scored a late winner.
“I want to tell everyone that I am fine, that I am not and was not hospitalised,” the 57-year-old wrote on Instagram.
A video had earlier emerged showing the 1986 World Cup winner looking dazed. He walked with difficulty and was guided into the dining room of the VIP section by two friends before sitting down in a chair.
“At half time against Nigeria, my neck hurt a lot and I suffered a drop in my blood pressure. Also I had binged on white wine before the game and that effected my posture,” he stated.
“I was checked by a doctor and he recommended that I go home before the second half, but I wanted to stay because we were risking it all. How could I go home when the entire nation was anxious? How could I leave?”
A medical source told Russia’s ‘RIA Novosti’ state news agency that paramedics checked Maradona’s blood pressure but that the star refused all other assistance.
The 57-year-old football legend started the evening dancing playfully with a female Nigeria fan, saluting and waving to well-wishers applauding him in the moments before kick-off.
Maradona however, looked increasingly frazzled as the game wore on, at one stage slumped forward in his seat just before half time.
With the game tied 1-1 and time ticking away Maradona grew increasingly distraught. Yet when Marcos Rojo swept in a sumptuous volley with four minutes remaining, Maradona exploded with emotion.
But the jubilation turned to alarm soon after the final whistle when a video emerged on social media of Maradona walking with difficulty and being guided into the dining room of the VIP section by two friends.
Maradona is being paid 10,000 pounds per day by FIFA for attending matches. In a WhatsApp message later Wednesday he rubbished claims that he had suffered a heart attack during the game Tuesday. “I swear to God nothing has happened,” he said.