Diego Armando Maradona is leaving the management of the Dorados of Mexico, second division, for health reasons. He had been coaching the team since last September, in the northern state of Sinaloa. His lawyer, Matias Morla, reported that the former pibe de oro will dedicate time to his health and will undergo two operations: shoulder and knee. Maradona said he was "grateful to the entire Dorados family and we will continue the dream together", wrote Morla on his Twitter account. The departure of the Argentine idol comes more than a month after the team lost, in the Clausura-2019 and for the second consecutive time, the final of the promotion tournament of the Mexican championship. Maradona had conquered the Dorados in the Apertura-2018 tournament, when he managed to pull them from the bottom of the standings and take them to the decisive instance, but lost the opportunity for promotion against Atle'tico de San Luis, who then beat him again in the second final for the promotion, thus proving to be the bête noire of the Dorados. Maradona, who previously led Argentina's club and national teams, as well as the United Arab Emirates, has yet to win a coaching title. Maradona's orthopedic surgeon, German Ochoa, said earlier this year that the former soccer star has virtually no cartilage left in his knees due to severe osteoarthritis and requires prosthetics. "Together we amazed the world, we showed that soccer is all about passion and heart, you will always be a Dorado, thank you for everything Diego," the club tweeted. "Get well and we will see you soon." When Maradona arrived in Sinaloa, considered the heart of drug trafficking in Mexico, many feared he would relapse into his addiction problems of the past. But in the nine months he spent in Mexico, the 'Hand of God' player never had any problems off the pitch and managed to lead his team close to the first division, which they narrowly lost to Atletico San Luis. “I was on the brink of death, for me, this… is nothing,” Maradona said after losing the 2019 Clausura finals. “I’m just sad for the guys on the team.”
Article published on 14 June 2019 - 07:04
