Argentinian soccer legend Diego Maradona is giving fans a health update following his sudden collapse during a FIFA World Cup match Tuesday.
Maradona, 57, gave fans a scare when he collapsed at halftime as his home country played Nigeria in St. Petersburg, Russia on Tuesday. After being treated by medics at the game, and staying to see its completion despite doctors’ suggestions that he should leave, the soccer legend has taken to Facebook to update fans about his health, promising that he is doing fine and is in good spirits.
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“I want to tell everyone that I am fine, that I am not, neither was I interned. In the halftime of the game against Nigeria, my neck hurt a lot and I suffered a decompensation. 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?” Maradona wrote on Facebook, sharing an image of the incident. “I send a kiss to everyone, thanks for the support!”
Video posted online after Argentina’s victory, the team winning 2-1, showed the soccer legend requiring assistance to return to a luxury box, with several men assisting him up a set of stairs at the stadium.
Mardona had reportedly struggled to stand from his seat at halftime and then had difficulty walking. Medics on scene reportedly treated him for low blood pressure and helped him get back onto his feet.
Despite the medic’s opinion that he leave the game, Mardona stayed to watch his team win the match, seeing the team finish second in Group D.
The 57-year-old soccer legend, who in 1986 became Argentina’s hero at their title-winning World Cup, became a popular and common sight on FIFA cameras throughout the game and as briefly spotted waving his two middle fingers in the air as he celebrated Argentina’s win.
Mardona was not the first star to give cameras the middle finger. The World Cup kicked off with United Kingdom pop singer Robbie Williams holding up his middle finger while he sang his hit single “Rock DJ” during the opening ceremony.
The offensive gesture, which many fans criticized, could reportedly lead to jail time for the singer. According to the Daily Mail, “if it is proved it was meant to be an insult” he could face time in prison, with Russian laws on the matter dictating that a person can be charged for outraging public decency, which can lead to a fine of up to 6,000 euros.
