Major medical update reveals possible cause of football legend Diego Maradona’s death

Argentinian football legend Diego Maradona’s death could have been caused by cocaine, a medical report suggests.

The former Barcelona and Napoli star, hailed as one of the most talented footballers of all time, died aged 60 at his home in Buenos Aires, Argentina on 25 November 2020 after suffering a fatal heart attack in the aftermath of major brain surgery.

Argentina went into three days of mourning to pay respect to their 1986 World Cup winning talisman. During this period, his body was lying in state at the Casa Rosada, the presidential palace in Buenos Aires.

In April 2023, it was announced that eight doctors and nurses would go on trial for the alleged crime of homicide with eventual intent over how they cared for Maradona in his final hours. The eight, who include his psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, face 25 years in jail if convicted.

Mr Cosachov’s lawyer told The Sun: “There could have been two causes: one natural and the other, a product of the ingestion of a toxic substance.”

Now a new medical report from examiner Pablo Ferrari adds that Maradona’s rapid and erratic heartbeat could have stemmed from an ‘external factor’, possibly a drug like cocaine, according to reports from Mail Sport.

Maradona had battled alcohol and drug addiction for many years both during and after his career and the Argentine icon had undergone brain surgery in November 2020 shortly before his death. Ferrari said he couldn’t do a toxicology report based on Maradona’s insufficient urine sample.

However, the prosecutor's office has criticised the expert’s report, claiming that it has been hastily cobbled together in 72 hours and has accused Ferrari of neglecting four years of evidence in favour of a ‘minimal slice of evidence offered by the defence.”