A landmark court case in Buenos Aires is reopening the final chapter of Diego Maradona’s life, as prosecutors accuse his medical team of negligence and “eventual intent” in a death that has gripped Argentina and reignited global debate over how one of football’s greatest icons was allowed to deteriorate so rapidly.
For almost six years, Argentines have demanded answers about the mysterious death of Diego Maradona, a national hero widely regarded as one of the greatest soccer players the world has ever seen. Now, according to reporting originally detailed by the Wall Street Journal, prosecutors say they have built a case they believe explains his final days, and they are testing that evidence in a high-profile trial that has turned into a national reckoning. Seven members of Maradona’s medical team, including his personal physician, nurses, and a psychiatrist, face charges of “simple homicide with eventual intent,” a legal classification that could carry prison sentences of up to 25 years if convictions are secured.
The prosecution argues that Maradona’s care team ignored repeated and serious warning signs as his health deteriorated in late 2020, ultimately abandoning him in a situation they have described in court as a “theater of horrors.” In emotional opening statements, prosecutor Patricio Ferrari declared that Maradona was “abandoned to his fate, condemned to death,” a phrase that has since echoed across Argentine media and intensified public scrutiny of the defendants.
At the heart of the case is Maradona’s death on November 25, 2020, when he suffered a heart attack while recovering at a rented home on the outskirts of Buenos Aires. Prosecutors cite medical findings suggesting that in his final hours, the football legend may have been in severe distress. A medical board convened by investigators described alarming conditions in his final residence, pointing to inadequate equipment and poor supervision. According to the board, Maradona’s room lacked proper access to basic facilities, and essential emergency tools such as a defibrillator and oxygen tank were not available. It also found that his diet and care were poorly managed, with overly salty meals and insufficient monitoring.
The medical board further concluded that Maradona’s condition was exacerbated by systemic failures in his home care, including insufficient medical oversight and a pattern of compliance with the former athlete’s demands. Nurses, it said, were not consistently checking on him, despite clear indications that his health was unstable and worsening.
The trial has triggered intense emotional reactions across Argentina, where Maradona is revered not just as a footballer but as a cultural and almost mythological figure. Outside the courthouse in Buenos Aires, supporters have gathered holding signs reading “Justice for God,” a reference to Maradona’s near-divine status among fans. The case has dominated television broadcasts and newspaper headlines, with media outlets publishing a steady stream of leaked messages, voice recordings, and documents obtained by prosecutors after raids on the defendants’ homes shortly after Maradona’s death.
Defendants, however, strongly reject the accusations. They argue they provided appropriate care for a deeply complex patient who frequently resisted treatment and made medical supervision difficult. Maradona’s physical condition had been severely compromised by decades of substance abuse and alcohol consumption, they say, making his death from cardiac arrest both tragic and medically unsurprising. Leopoldo Luque, Maradona’s personal doctor and the most prominent defendant, has publicly denied any wrongdoing, stating shortly after the death that “there was no medical negligence” and that a heart attack in such a patient was “the most common thing in the world.”
Luque’s legal team has gone further, portraying him as a scapegoat for broader systemic failures in Maradona’s care arrangement. They argue that he was not solely responsible for the footballer’s treatment during home recovery and that responsibility was distributed across multiple professionals and family decisions. Another defense attorney, Roberto Rallin, has insisted that the prosecution is attempting to redirect public anger by focusing on individuals rather than the broader medical context, saying the case risks turning into an effort to “make someone responsible for the death of an idol.”
The proceedings follow a previous attempt at trial that collapsed last year after procedural controversy involving unauthorized filming inside the courtroom, which violated judicial rules. The renewed trial has been framed as a more structured effort to determine accountability, though it remains highly charged given Maradona’s global stature and Argentina’s deep emotional investment in his legacy.
Beyond the courtroom, the trial has also revived painful memories of Maradona’s turbulent final years. Once the dazzling architect of Argentina’s 1986 World Cup victory, where he scored two of football’s most iconic goals against England, Maradona’s life after retirement was marked by fame, excess, and repeated health crises. His career brilliance was matched by a long history of personal struggles, including drug addiction, alcohol abuse, and multiple medical emergencies that repeatedly brought him close to death.
He was briefly jailed for drug possession, expelled from the 1994 World Cup, and later suffered near-fatal heart failure during a 2000 trip to Uruguay linked to a cocaine overdose. Years later, he underwent treatment for alcohol dependency. Despite these setbacks, he remained a towering public figure, celebrated even as his health visibly declined.
His final deterioration accelerated during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, when prolonged lockdowns left him isolated and increasingly dependent on medication and alcohol. Reports and leaked communications cited by investigators suggest that Maradona consumed sleeping pills in large quantities and struggled with depression, often expressing emotional distress and longing for his late mother. Medical staff had reportedly warned of the risks of mixing alcohol with sedatives, but his condition continued to worsen.
A particularly striking moment came on his 60th birthday in October 2020, when Maradona appeared publicly at a stadium celebration in Buenos Aires. Though greeted with fireworks, tributes, and national admiration, observers noted that he appeared frail, pale, and unsteady. It was his last public appearance on a football pitch.
Shortly afterward, he was hospitalized and diagnosed with a brain blood clot that required emergency surgery. Although he initially recovered, he quickly resisted hospital care and was discharged to home supervision. Within days, his condition deteriorated again, culminating in his death less than a week later after returning to the rented house where he was meant to receive round-the-clock medical attention.
Testimony and evidence presented in court include disturbing accounts from caregivers who observed severe swelling, confusion, and physical decline in the days before his death. Text messages exchanged between medical staff show growing alarm over his condition, alongside reassurances that his health would improve. In one exchange cited by prosecutors, concerns about swelling and behavioral changes were dismissed, even as warning signs intensified.
