Diego Maradona bloated, bedridden and resigned before death, says masseur

What the report says

Testimony in an Argentine court has added new detail to the trial over Diego Maradona’s death in 2020. According to Al Jazeera’s report, Maradona’s former masseur, Nicolas Taffarel, told judges that the football star was bedridden, had swollen legs and appeared to have given up in his final days. The hearing is part of an ongoing case in Argentina involving seven healthcare professionals accused of possible negligence linked to the 60-year-old’s death.

Taffarel said he had tried to alert members of Maradona’s medical team that they needed to be more present and to visit daily. He also described Maradona as refusing to get out of bed, eat, wash or care for his personal hygiene. The testimony was emotional and included an account of the day before Maradona died, when Taffarel said he attempted to persuade him to get up and drink mate, but Maradona responded with words that could be interpreted as either resignation or finality.

Maradona died in bed the following day from heart failure and acute pulmonary edema, two weeks after surgery, according to the report. The defendants deny responsibility and say their roles were limited or not directly connected to the medical causes of death. The trial began in mid-April and could continue beyond this month, underscoring the continuing scrutiny over the care Maradona received in his final days.