Maradona ignored advice to leave game: "I wanted to stay because we were risking it all. How could I leave?"
Wednesday 27 June 2018 08:09, UK
Diego Maradona has eased concerns over his health after a doctor told him to go home at half-time during Argentina's dramatic win over Nigeria.
The 57-year-old ignored advice, though, staying on in the crowd to watch Marcos Rojo's 86th-minute winner save Argentina from elimination and assure them of a place in the last 16.
He celebrated the goal by swinging his arms back and forth with middle-finger gestures, captured on TV cameras.
Maradona, who led Argentina to World Cup glory in 1986, denied reports he was taken to hospital after the match, revealing he was suffering from neck pain while watching.
He had appeared to require assistance to walk from his seat overlooking the pitch in a video posted by Mexican journalist Fernando Schwartz.
"I want to tell everyone that I am fine," Maradona said on Instagram, alongside a picture of him with a medic.
"In the half-time of the game against Nigeria, my neck hurt a lot... I was checked by a doctor and he recommended me to go home before the second half, but I wanted to stay because we were risking it all. How could I leave?
"I send a kiss to everyone, thanks for the support!"
