Diego Maradona’s Daughter Testifies, Blames Doctor for Father’s Home Care and Death

Boca Juniors fans watch their team play a local tournament soccer league match against River Plate, in front of a banner of soccer legend Diego Maradona, in La Boca neighborhood in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sunday, April 27, 2025

Gianinna Maradona, daughter of the late football legend Diego Maradona, testified in court on Tuesday, accusing her father’s primary physician of failing to explain his treatment and blaming him for pushing for home care prior to Maradona’s death in 2020.

Dr. Leopoldo Luque, a neurosurgeon who served as Maradona’s primary care doctor, is among seven medical professionals currently on trial for alleged negligence contributing to the soccer icon’s death. The charges carry a potential sentence of up to 25 years in prison if convicted.

Diego Maradona's daughter, Gianinna Maradona, arrives at the San Isidro courthouse this Tuesday, in Buenos Aires

Maradona underwent surgery on November 4, 2020, to treat a subdural hematoma and was discharged from the Olivos Clinic on November 11. He was then transferred to a private residence for recovery, where he died two weeks later at the age of 60.

During her testimony, Gianinna stated she had repeatedly warned Luque that her father’s condition was worsening. “I told Luque that my dad seemed very lost, that he wasn’t happy, and that he couldn’t walk,” she recalled. “He told me there were ups and downs in his days.”

Psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov arrives for a court hearing on the trial charging the medical team that treated late soccer star Diego Maradona with homicide by negligence in San Isidro, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, March 11, 2025.

She recounted visiting Maradona on his 60th birthday, October 30, 2020, and described the encounter as deeply distressing. “He looked at us but didn’t understand. I asked him if he felt OK, and he said no, that he felt bad.”

Gianinna also criticized the decision to move her father from the clinic into home care, which she claims was recommended by Luque, psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, and psychologist Carlos Díaz—both also defendants in the case. “I chose to believe that they, who were monitoring my father’s health, were giving us the best proposal,” she said. “Looking back, I feel like it was all a play to keep my father in a dark, ugly, and lonely place.”

She further testified that whenever she asked Luque what treatment her father was receiving or why his condition was deteriorating, the doctor failed to provide a clear answer.

Testimony from other medical professionals supported her concerns. Pablo Dimitroff, the director of the Olivos Clinic, said Maradona experienced a “complex psychomotor excitation episode” resembling alcohol withdrawal after his surgery. Dimitroff and a cardiologist both advised against moving Maradona into home care, but Luque proceeded with the transfer.

Three judges will determine whether the medical team’s decisions and alleged negligence amount to manslaughter.