The autopsy also said that the former Napoli champion’s heart was twice its normal size.
The autopsy of late Argentine soccer icon Diego Armando Maradona says that the former World Cup winner had no drugs or alcohol in his system at the time of his death last month, ESPN reports.
Initial reports said that Maradona, who passed away last month at 60, “died in his sleep of acute pulmonary edema, a build-up of fluid in the lungs, because of congestive heart failure,” ESPN reports. Maradona’s death came two weeks after he returned home from the hospital following brain surgery.
The autopsy also revealed that the former Napoli star’s kidneys and liver were badly damaged, and that his heart weighed roughly twice as much as the average person's, Argentine newspaper Télam said, citing forensic doctors, according to Business Insider.
According to Business Insider, Télam said that the autopsy did reveal that there were drugs present which are used to treat depression and anxiety.
Between 2018 and 2019, Maradona coached Mexican second division side Dorados de Sinaloa, his time with the team was documented in the Netflix series “Maradona in Mexico.” In the series, it was often joked about Maradona’s past drug use and Maradona himself openly discussed his anxiety and depression.
The recently released autopsy on the former Boca Juniors star was conducted using blood and urine samples, Reuters reports, and was released by Buenos Aires Scientific Police.
The controversial soccer figure was born into poverty in the shantytowns outside Buenos Aires. When he was 8 years old, a scout from the local team Estrella Roja signed him and by the time he was 15, he played for the major club Argentinos Juniors.
Maradona later signed with major Argentine club Boca Juniors before going to Europe, where he played for Barcelona in Spain’s La Liga. After two unsuccessful seasons at Barcelona, he transferred to Napoli in Italy’s Serie A, where he helped the Southern Italian club win two titles.
During the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, he helped Argentina win their second trophy.
In 1990, he brought his country back to the World Cup finals but they lost to West Germany.
Maradona became a controversial figure in 1992 when he faced a 15-month ban from soccer after testing positive for cocaine use.
By the 1994 World Cup, Maradona fought to return to the Argentina national team but later he failed a drug test and was kicked out of the tournament.
He retired from soccer in 1997 and returned to his favorite team, Boca Juniors.
In 2010, Maradona coached the Argentina national soccer team in South Africa.
Following Maradona's passing, the Italian city of Naples and the Argentine city of Buenos Aries essentially shut down to mourn the beloved figure. Soccer teams around the world mourned his death and each paid a moment of silence before a game in the days following his sudden death.
RELATED STORIES
