Diego Maradona’s former girlfriend says fallen legend, 60, needs urgent treatment for an alcohol addiction

Posted Wednesday, November 04, 2020 by Thesun.co.uk

DIEGO MARADONA'S former girlfriend says the fallen legend needs urgent treatment for an alcohol addiction.

Rocio Oliva, who spent six years with the Argentine idol and came close to marrying him, insisted his excess boozing is the root cause of his current health problems.

Diego Maradona's former girlfriend Rocio Oliva has blamed alcohol for his current health problems

On Tuesday, Maradona’s personal doctor Leopoldo Luque insisted the recovering drug addict had not suffered a relapse.

Luque also ruled out coronavirus after he was admitted to a private clinic in the Argentinian city of La Plata.

The official line is that the footballer-turned-manager, 60 on Friday, is suffering from dehydration partly brought about by a poor diet.

Mr Luque hinted the former Napoli and Barcelona star was also experiencing depression after a journalist friend claimed he was suffering from anaemia which can cause tiredness and weakness.

But Rocio, who split with Maradona at the end of 2018, told Argentine radio Super Mitre Deportivo his latest hospitalisation was related to alcohol problems that were behind a previous admission to the same clinic in September.

She said: “On September 9 he was admitted for the same reason but this time round he was in a worse condition than before.

“What’s happening here is simple. You can keep him in hospital three or four days and get him better by hydrating him and giving him vitamins but that’s not the solution.

“Diego takes sleeping pills, but Diego’s problem is alcohol and it’s well known.

“Diego is still drinking and whoever says he isn’t is a liar. He needs to be treated for his alcohol addiction.”

She added: “Diego was officially presented as Gimnasia y Esgrima’s manager a year ago.

“Since our split I haven’t had any contact with him. But a year ago Diego was a different man.

“The man we see now can’t speak. He’s got a lot worse.”

Maradona’s last public appearance was on Friday when he had obvious difficulties walking and talking before the start of his team Gimnasia y Esgrima’s cup match.

On Tuesday, his doctor claimed the former footballer was doing better than on Monday, but said he wanted him to remain in hospital for a few more days.

He said: “Diego is not in a critical situation or anything like it.

“He’s doing better than yesterday but the idea is he stays in hospital for a few more days.

“He’s anaemic and dehydrated. That needs to be corrected so he can continue to improve.

"The idea is he improves as much as he can. We need more time.”

Maradona’s daughter Gianinna expressed her concern at Friday’s footage of Diego leaving early following a tribute to mark his birthday.

She told a fan on social media: “It tears my soul apart.”

Dalma, his other daughter from his marriage to Claudia Villafane, warned in her own message after Maradona’s hospital admission: “The other thing that’s important is that he is OK.

“I hope for all those bloodsuckers that nothing happens to him.”

Last November, the former footballer was forced to deny he was dying in an extraordinary video address to fans after Gianinna hinted he was being "killed from inside" with sedatives.

He also told his growing brood of children he will leave them nothing after his death because he will donate his fortune to charity.

In a video filmed from what appeared to be his home in Argentina, Maradona, who has battled drink and drug problems as well as weight issues, said: “I want to tell you that I’m not dying at all, that I sleep peacefully because I’m working.”

Responding to fears about his health Gianinna sparked a week earlier by appearing to ask fans to "pray for him" and claiming he was being sedated with pills like a "caged lion", he added: “I don’t know what she meant to say or what she had interpreted.

“What I do know is that as you get older, people worry more about what you’re going to leave than what you’re doing.

“I tell you all that I’m not going to leave anything, that I am going to donate it.

"I’m not going to give away everything I earned by running during my life, I’m going to donate it.”

Last June, Maradona was forced to deny he had incurable Alzheimer’s disease.

He posted a video on his Instagram page insisting he was "not dying" from the irreversible brain disorder and branding the people behind the rumours: “Sons of they know who.”

Speaking out after Argentine newspaper Cronica published a report pointing to him suffering 'neurological problems' and the 'start of Alzheimer’s', raged: “They’re lying, they’re lying.

"They speak of Alzheimer’s and they don’t know what it means.

“The word Alzheimer’s is an awful word. People with Alzheimer’s die. I’m not dying.

"These sons of they know what throw it out there to create confusion. I don’t do confusion.”

His lawyer Matias Morla admitted at the time Maradona had stepped down as manager of Mexican side Dorados to focus on his health and undergo shoulder and knee surgery.

But he added: “In the light of reports Diego Maradona is suffering from the onset of Alzheimer’s I wish to state that none of the medical tests he has undergone show anything of the sort.”

Maradona subsequently underwent knee surgery at a private Buenos Aires clinic and boasted afterwards: “Today I walked again like I did when I was 15.”

The football great was also at the centre of concerns about his health in 2018.

Maradona had to be helped away from his VIP box and assisted by medical staff when Argentina narrowly avoided an early World Cup exit in Russia with a dramatic late goal against Nigeria.

Two Spanish-language recordings which went viral - recorded by the same man and released shortly after the match - claimed he had suffered a fatal heart attack.

One said an adrenaline injection to his heart had failed to save him and the Argentine squad were yet to be told he had passed away in hospital.

A second 42-second recording, a WhatsApp sent to a mystery man called Mati by someone passing himself off as an Argentine sports journalist, added: “They are only going to be announcing the news tomorrow. It’s a family decision.”

Maradona reacted by offering a four-figure reward to identify the person who tried to fool the world into believing he was dead.

He promised more than £8,000 through his lawyer to anyone who could help him unmask the man responsible for killing him off and forcing him to put out a statement confirming he was alive - but had overdone it on the white wine.