Maradona stable, improving

Diego Maradona, one of the most gifted players in soccer history, remained in intensive care in a Buenos Aires clinic last night with heart and breathing problems but was stable and improving.

His doctors said in a statement his "progress has been satisfactory until now" and his arterial pressure was normalising. He was still breathing with the help of an respirator.

Family doctor Alfredo Cahe said Maradona had a lung infection and denied reports he had taken an overdose of cocaine - he has been battling with an addiction for the last decade.

"He has a lung infection . . . because of a chill," Cahe told reporters outside the Buenos Aires clinic where Maradona is being treated. "He is quite stable and (his progress) is relatively good." Asked if Maradona's life was at risk, he replied: "There was (a risk) and there still is.

"It is not related to an overdose. Lately, Maradona was not (consuming) cocaine," Cahe earlier told local radio. "I wouldn't say his condition is extreme."

After a similar scare in early 2000 Maradona's entourage initially denied cocaine was involved but his cardiologist later told agonised fans to change their placards from "Hang in there Diego" to "Damned cocaine".

Maradona (43) had arrived at the clinic on Sunday in a serious, feverish state with breathing difficulties and a swollen heart, after watching a game at his former club Boca Juniors' stadium.

"(I send him) a big hug, I hope he recovers fast," said soccer-mad Argentina president Nestor Kirchner. "Like all Argentines it causes me deep pain. We must stand by him . . . He has made all Argentines cry with joy. He is a great person."

Maradona's official website www.diegomaradona.com said the former Argentina captain was taken ill while eating a traditional barbecue after watching Boca Juniors play at the Bombonera stadium in Buenos Aires where he made his name.

Well-wishers mounted a vigil outside the Suizo-Argentina clinic yesterday, some wearing Boca's blue and yellow strip.

Fans glued posters of Maradona in his footballing prime on the clinic's walls. Many Argentinians were too scared to turn on their televisions or radios on Monday morning for fear of hearing the worst.

Newspapers carried pictures of the former player on their covers, and cited unnamed medical experts saying Maradona's heart was damaged and worn out. Local television played footage of Maradona's greatest moments on the pitch.

"For Argentines who love football, Diego is nothing less than a god and the fact that something bad is happening to him brings huge sadness to us all. I wish I could speak with him," said Valencia midfielder Pablo Aimar.

Maradona, the fifth of eight children of a factory worker, was given his first football as an infant and slept with it under his arm.

Rising to stardom from a grimy Buenos Aires slum to lead Argentina to World Cup victory, Maradona's is the ultimate rags-to-riches story in this soccer-mad country and has gained the iconic status of Che Guevara or Evita Peron.

He made his international debut in 1977 and then moved to Barcelona in 1982 after the World Cup in Spain for $3 million, although his two years at the Spanish club were marred by illness and injury.

In 1984 he moved to Napoli for a world record $7.5 million and helped transform a mediocre club into one of the best in Italy.

At the peak of his form, he led Argentina to a 3-2 triumph over West Germany in the 1986 World Cup final.

He scored twice in the 2-1 quarter-final defeat of England, one the infamous "Hand of God" goal when he fisted the ball into the net and the other a stunning solo effort as he ran through the opposition with the ball seemingly glued to his left foot.

In 1991 he failed a dope test for cocaine and was banned for 15 months.

He played in his fourth World Cup in the United States in 1994 but tested positive for a cocktail of drugs the day before he was due to make his record 22nd appearance.

Maradona was admitted to a Uruguayan hospital in 2000 for hypertension and an irregular heart beat and has spent most of the past two years in Cuba having treatment for drug addiction.

Maradona has a widespread fan club with 20,000 people as far afield as Vietnam and Iceland becoming members of the "Church of Maradona".