5 years after Maradona’s death

By Florencia Pessarini

Buenos Aires (EFE).- Five years after Diego Maradona died on Nov. 25, 2025, the annulled trial meant to determine who was responsible for his death revealed crucial failures in his medical care while recovering at a private home outside Buenos Aires, according to testimony heard before the proceedings were halted.

The trial, launched in March and thrown out on May 29 because the judge was involved in a documentary about the case, exposed the precarious state of Maradona’s health in his final weeks.

The autopsy described cirrhosis, chronic lung disease, severe kidney issues and a heart that weighed “more than twice the normal size.” It concluded that he died from “acute pulmonary edema secondary to an acute-on-chronic heart failure.”

Maradona had been recovering from surgery at Clínica Olivos in early Nov. 2020. His daughters said neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque, who led the medical team, convinced them to move him to a private house rather than to a rehabilitation clinic, despite other specialists recommending the latter.

Whether his death could have been prevented hinges on “the quality of care he received between Nov. 11 and 25,” the court heard.

Lack of proper medical equipment and negligent monitoring

Dalma Maradona told the court that doctors had promised care “equal to Clínica Olivos,” but instead “deceived the family in the cruelest way.”

Witnesses reported that a high-complexity ambulance, which was guaranteed to be on standby, remained on-site for only the first two days.

The house lacked adequate facilities for a patient with reduced mobility and did not have essential emergency equipment such as a defibrillator.

Gianna said she repeatedly warned Luque that her father looked “worse and worse,” to which he replied: “He has ups and downs, but I see him improving.”

Maradona died alone after a long agony

Maradona was last checked at 12:30 am on Nov. 25. His death was reported to police at 1:00pm.

Nurses were sleeping in a distant room, making it difficult to respond quickly.

The first doctor to attempt resuscitation said Maradona had likely been dead “one or two hours” by the time help was called at 12:26pm. A forensic expert later suggested the football legend showed signs of “a long agony of up to twelve hours.”

His daughters also described how Maximiliano Pomargo, Maradona’s aide and legal representative, and the person the medical team answered to, restricted their contact with their father.

In his final days, the family stopped visiting under instructions from the medical team, who claimed he “needed calm.”

A new trial over Maradona’s death is scheduled to begin on Mar. 17, 2026.

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