Neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque, the main defendant in the trial for the death of Diego Armando Maradona, testified for the tenth time before the court this Thursday and claimed to have observed no warning signs in the patient, a version that contrasts with the testimonies of numerous witnesses and the experts of the interdisciplinary medical board that evaluated the case in 2021.
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“I didn’t see any warning signs,” Luque stated, adding that “the patient described by the experts on the medical board is not the patient we had when he was alive.” Despite being identified as the doctor in charge of the star’s overall health, the neurosurgeon once again denied that role: “I oversaw the neurosurgical aspects; that was my responsibility.”
Luque maintained that the former soccer player’s medical tests were normal and questioned the methodology of the medical board. “The doctor, when he attends to the patient, doesn’t have the autopsy report in hand,” he explained, asserting that the experts’ work consisted of looking back and seeing how they could justify the autopsy.
Diego Maradona died on November 25, 2020, at a residence on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, while undergoing home treatment after surgery for a subdural hematoma.
El neurocirujano aseguró que la junta médica presentó un cuadro de extrema gravedad que nunca fue advertido por los profesionales tratantes. También, señaló las dificultades que implicaba asistir a Maradona debido a su carácter y resistencia a los … https://t.co/XgEbEkHFAM
— CANAL 26 (@canal26noticias) September 3, 2026
The text reads, “The neurosurgeon asserted that the medical board presented a picture of extreme severity that had never been detected by the treating professionals. He also noted the difficulties involved in treating Maradona due to his temperament and resistance to treatment…”
In another part of his statement, Luque responded to accusations about the alleged discontinuation of a hypertension medication shortly before Maradona’s death. The doctor stated that the medication was discontinued in 2007, a statement that contradicts the testimony of a cardiologist who treated the idol and confirmed that he was taking Losartan two and a half months before his death.
Towards the end of his statement, the doctor acknowledged that he had been frustrated in the patient’s final days because he was no longer able to help him, and justified the intervention of a mental health team as a way to alleviate that frustration, that not knowing how to manage an alcoholic patient.
Thursday’s hearing also included the testimony of surgeon Antonio José Maya. However, Luque’s lawyers reported that the witness requested a postponement of his testimony to read a technical report. Also on trial in this case are psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, psychologist Carlos Díaz, coordinator Nancy Forlini, physician Pedro Di Spagna, coordinator Mariano Perroni, and nurse Ricardo Almirón.
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