201106 Maradona
Diego Maradona during his presentation as new coach of Gimnasia y Esgrima. Image Credit: Reuters

Olivos, Argentina: Argentine football legend Diego Maradona is to remain in hospital for several more days to undergo treatment following surgery to remove a blood clot on the brain, his doctor said Thursday.

“We saw that in the postoperative phase Diego had episodes of confusion,” Leopoldo Luque told reporters, adding that therapists had linked the behaviour to “abstinence” and that the necessary treatment would last “a few days”.

Luque did not provide details, but Maradona has a history of drug and alcohol addition.

Although he has stated he has not used cocaine in years, according to friends and media reports, he remains addicted to alcohol.

The doctor said Maradona “agrees” with the diagnosis and would remain in the clinic.

At a press conference outside the private clinic in Buenos Aires where surgeons spent 80 minutes removing the clot on Tuesday night, Luque took pains to present an upbeat assessment of the 60-year-old’s condition.

“Diego is doing well. The CT scan came out well. We were even dancing. Yes, we danced!” the doctor said.