Argentina great Diego Maradona has been sedated by doctors to help him cope with withdrawal symptoms from alcohol dependency, a member of his medical team said Friday.
Alfredo Cahe said Maradona, who underwent emergency surgery Tuesday for a subdural hematoma, a blood clot on the brain, had been sedated after suffering from "episodes of confusion" linked to withdrawal symptoms.
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"He has to have treatment to stop drinking alcohol, and all his family is in agreement that Diego as he is now is unmanageable," Cahe told TyC Sports in Argentina.
"We need to take the bull by the horns.
"He has liver problems, cardiovascular problems. It's not his brain on one hand, his liver on another, his stomach. It's a mix of things. We need to clean Diego up, and then we'll see. He is still a complicated patient."
Maradona, who won the World Cup with Argentina in 1986 and is considered one of the greatest players of all time, has had frequent periods in the hospital over the years, often due to his lifestyle.
The 60-year-old former Barcelona, Napoli and Boca Juniors player argued to leave the Buenos Aires clinic where he was operated on, but Cahe said Maradona was in no state to be on his own.
"What Diego's future is going to look like is a mystery, and it worries me. He can't go home like this," said Cahe, who has treated the star for decades.
Maradona needs to be in a place "where he has permanent help," Cahe added.
The former coach of the Argentine national team is currently manager of first-division club Gimnasia y Esgrima, but he looked weak and ponderous on his most recent public appearance before the operation ahead of his club's game against Patronato.
Maradona received a plaque and a cake to mark his 60th birthday but did not stay for the game, and concerns about his health grew.