Diego Maradona is recovering in hospital following surgery to treat a blood clot on his brain.
The Argentine legend could spend up to a week in a private clinic after the emergency 80-minute procedure to treat a subdural hematoma – a clot which can put pressure on the brain.
"I was able to evacuate the hematoma successfully and Diego tolerated the surgery very well," Maradona's neurosurgeon and personal doctor, Leopoldo Luque, told reporters and well-wishers outside the Olivos Clinic in the suburbs of Buenos Aires.
"The steps now are observation, but it is controlled. It will depend on how he does. It is not highly complex, but it is still brain surgery."
Maradona's daughter Dalma, who visited him on Tuesday after a CT scan had revealed the clot, thanked his supporters, around 50 of whom gathered outside the clinic and chanted 'Diego, Diego' when reports of the successful surgery began to emerge.
“I’ve just left the clinic and I want to thank everyone for their constant displays of love for my dad," she tweeted. "Thanks to all those of you who prayed for him.”
The 1986 World Cup winner, who is widely considered one of the greatest players of all-time, is expected to remain in hospital for between 72 hours and a week before continuing his recovery at home.
He was operated on after being transferred from a private clinic in La Plata, where he was admitted on Monday for anemia and dehydration.
Mr Luque suggested the 60-year-old, who has battled drink and drug addictions as well as a variety of health problems, was also suffering from depression.
Acabo de salir de la clínica y solo quiero agradecerles a todos las muestras de amor constantes para mi papá, para mi hermana y para mi❤️ Gracias a todos los que rezaron por el!
— Dalma Maradona (@dalmaradona) November 4, 2020
"Diego goes in cycles," Mr Luque said. "Sometimes he’s okay and then he has periods when he’s not doing so well. I didn’t like the state he was in. Getting him into hospital helps him."
Maradona was transferred between clinics in an ambulance with a police escort, including a patrol car and two motorbikes, and the event was broadcast live on Argentine TV.
He was waved off by dozens of supporters in La Plata – many of whom were fans of Gimnasia, the top-flight Argentine side he now manages – and greeted by more supporters in Olivos.
"What we want the most is for Diego to get out of all this. He can be, he is the greatest, the greatest in the world," Diego Bermudez, a Maradona enthusiast waiting outside the hospital, was quoted as saying by Reuters.
The most common cause of a hematoma is head injury and playing high-impact sports can increase the risk.
Shortly before his surgery, Maradona's ex-girlfriend, Rocio Oliva, who spent six years with the Napoli and Barcelona legend, claimed he needed treatment for his "real" problem of alcohol addiction.
Maradona last appeared in public on Friday during a tribute to mark his 60th birthday before Gimnasia's league match against Patronato.
