Quote:
Originally posted by =^..^=
i missed the main part of the story on the news
all i heard was he's in hospital they thought he'd die
what was it ? drugs again?
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tell me this story doesn't sound like it was written as an obituary:
Maradona improving in intensive care
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina's Diego Maradona, one of the most gifted players in football history, remains in intensive care in a Buenos Aires clinic with heart and breathing problems but is stable and improving.
His doctors said in a statement on Monday that his "progress has been satisfactory until now" and that his arterial pressure was normalising. He was still breathing with the help of an artificial respirator.
Family doctor Alfredo Cahe said Maradona had a lung infection and denied reports he had taken an overdose of cocaine -- an addiction he has battled for the last decade.
"He has a lung infection ... because of a chill," Cahe told a scrum of reporters outside the posh Buenos Aires clinic where Maradona is being treated. "He is quite stable and (his progress) is relatively good."
"It is not related to an overdose. Lately, Maradona was not (consuming) cocaine," Cahe had earlier told local radio. "I wouldn't say his condition is extreme."
After a similar scare in early 2000 Maradona's entourage initially denied cocaine was involved but his cardiologist later told agonised fans to change their placards from "Hang in there Diego" to "Damned cocaine".
Maradona, 43, had arrived at the clinic on Sunday in a serious, feverish state with breathing difficulties and a swollen heart, after watching a game at his former club Boca Juniors' stadium.
Maradona's official website
www.diegomaradona.com said the former Argentina captain was taken ill while eating a traditional barbecue after watching Boca play at the Bombonera stadium in Buenos Aires where he made his name.
Well-wishers mounted a vigil outside the Suizo-Argentina clinic on Monday, some wearing Boca's blue and yellow strip.
Fans glued posters of 'El Diez' (No. 10 shirt) in his footballing prime on the clinic's walls. Many Argentines were too scared to turn on their televisions or radios on Monday morning for fear of hearing the worst.
Newspapers carried pictures of the former player on their covers, and cited unnamed medical experts as saying Maradona's heart is damaged and worn out. Local television played footage of Maradona's greatest on-pitch moments.
"For Argentines who love football, Diego is nothing less than a god and the fact that something bad is happening to him brings huge sadness to us all. I wish I could speak with him," said Valencia's Argentina midfielder Pablo Aimar.
"If Argentina is known by so many people it is largely due to Maradona," added Aimar, one of several players to have been dubbed the 'New Maradona'. "I've no idea how he got to reach this state but everyone has to live their own life."
RAGS TO RICHES
Maradona, the fifth of eight children of a factory worker, made his international debut in 1977. He moved to Barcelona in 1982 after the World Cup in Spain for $3 (1.67 million pounds) million and spent two years with the Spanish club marred by illness and injury.
In 1984 he moved to Napoli for a world record $7.5 million and helped transform a mediocre club into one of the best in Italy.
At the peak of his form, he led Argentina to a 3-2 triumph over West Germany in the 1986 World Cup final.
He scored twice in the quarter-final 2-1 defeat of England, one the infamous "Hand of God" goal when he fisted the ball into the net and the other a stunning solo effort when he ran through the opposition with the ball seemingly glued to his left foot.
In 1991 he failed a dope test for cocaine and was banned for 15 months.
He played in his fourth World Cup in the United States in 1994 but tested positive for a cocktail of drugs the day before he was due to make a record 22nd appearance.
Maradona was admitted to a Uruguayan hospital in 2000 for hypertension and an irregular heart beat.
He has spent most of the past two years in Cuba having treatment for drug addiction.
Despite his well-publicised drug problems, Maradona has a widespread fan club with 20,000 people as far afield as Vietnam and Iceland becoming members of the 'Church of Maradona'.
He has also been honoured with a musical about the ups and downs of his turbulent rags-to-riches life