The Argentine insists "for now I am very healthy" after Giannina Maradona said her father is "dying from the inside"
Wednesday 6 November 2019 09:39, UK
Diego Maradona has denied claims by his daughter that he is "dying from the inside" and told his family he will not be leaving them any of his fortune when he passes away.
The football legend said he wanted to tell people he was "not dying at all, that I sleep peacefully because I am working".
Referring to his daughter Giannina's concerns about his health, the Argentine, 59, said he did not know what she "meant to say or what she had interpreted", suggesting her words may have been misunderstood.
The World Cup winner added: "As you get older, people worry more about what you're going to leave behind than what you're doing.
"And I tell everyone that I am not leaving them anything, that I am going to donate it. All I earned during my life, I'm going to donate it.
"For now", he insisted, "I am very healthy, very healthy".
Gianinna Maradona, 30, the former wife of Manchester City forward Sergio Aguero, voiced concerns about her father's health last week on social media.
She wrote: "He is not dying because his body has decided so, he is getting killed from the inside and does not realise it.
"I do not believe in the parameters of normal, but that is far from the reality of what he deserves. Pray for him. Please! Thank you!"
Local media reported "he" in the cryptic message was her father, who has publicly had recent health problems including knee surgery in July.
Maradona, who is the current coach of Argentinian side Gimnasia La Plata, has also had a long battle with drink and drugs in the past.
His daughter added: "Do you remember there was a zoo that allowed you to take photographs with a giant lion?
"You could go inside the cage and just about 'hug him'... They had him on pills, if not, it would be impossible to tame the beast."
Her final post featured a picture of a painting on a wall showing her as a toddler holding hands with her father as they walked onto a pitch.
