The excitement in the air proved to be a little too much for Argentinian soccer legend Diego Maradona, who collapsed during a FIFA World Cup match Tuesday.
The 57-year-old collapsed at halftime while his home country played Nigeria in St. Petersburg, Russia, according to his social media as well as video posted by the Spanish-language newspaper La Nacion. He reportedly struggled to get up from his seat at halftime, and then struggled to walk as he was helped by one man in black and followed closely behind by two other men and was led inside a luxury box, according to the newspaper.
Videos by PopCulture.com
After being treated by medics for low blood pressure, he was able to leave on his own after standing on his own, the publication reports — although he revealed on social media that he stayed at the game against the doctor’s wishes.
Maradona posted a photo of the brief health scare on social media showing medical staff with him at halftime of the game, saying he was “fine” but that his “neck hurt a lot.”
“I want to tell everyone that I am fine,” the caption on his Instagram post read. “I was checked by a doctor and he recommended me to go home before the second half, but I wanted to stay because we were risking it all. How could I leave?”
He reassured fans that he was feeling better and thanked them for their support and well wishes. “I send a kiss to everyone, thanks for the support!” he wrote.
See footage of the incident in the video below.
BBC Sport reports that he later boarded a flight to Moscow.
Argentina went on to win the match 2-1. Throughout the match as Argentina sought to avoid elimination in the group state, he was quite animated and even pulled a Nigerian fan to dance with him.
Your man Diego Maradona is already at it. This man has lived 14 lives and all of them at 150 miles per hour without a helmet. pic.twitter.com/MqKY2l7Utw
— Miriti Murungi (@NutmegRadio) June 26, 2018
After the victory, Maradona could be seen waving his two middle fingers in the air while he celebrated with other fans. He was previously in tears when the score was 1-1, which would have resulted in Argentina’s elimination.
Argentina’s victory saw the team finish second in Group D. Star Lionel Messi and the rest of the team will face France in round 16 Saturday. They previously lost to Croatia 0-3 and tied with Iceland 1-1.
Maradona cemented his status as a soccer icon and Argentinian hero when he helped win the FIFA World Cup for Argentina in 1986.
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