Father of daughters Mara and Dona names son Diego after football legend

Buenos Aires: A Diego Maradona fan who named his twin daughters Mara and Dona on Thursday welcomed to the world a baby boy named Diego, on the first anniversary of the Argentine football great's death.

Walter Rotundo, 39, said he and his wife Victoria scheduled the caesarean delivery for this day. "Everything went fine, as planned," Rotundo told AFP.

Rotundo says he never met Maradona in person but that his hero knew Rotundo had named his daughters - now 10 years old - after him

"This day that so many people are sad over Diego, I, too, am sad. But I feel somewhat better because of my son's birth.

Now, in the future, this day will continue to be the anniversary of the death of Diego but it will also be my son's birthday," Rotundo said.

He tells the story of how, when Mara and Dona were born 10 years ago, he sent Maradona a picture of himself holding the baby girls in his arms.

Maradona responded by sending Rotundo a picture of himself holding that photo.

Rotundo was so tickled by the gesture he tattooed that image of Maradona on his back.