The trial examining the tragic final hours of Diego Maradona has exposed a harrowing picture of neglect. Nicolas Taffarel, who worked as Maradona's personal masseur, took the stand in San Isidro to share details that go far beyond standard medical reports. He described a football icon who was entirely bloated from severe edema, confined to his bed, and utterly resigned to his fate before passing away at age 60 in November 2020.
When millions remember Maradona, they picture the genius weaving through English defenders in 1986 or lifting trophies amid pure adulation. But the reality inside his Tigre rented residence during his final two weeks painted a starkly different picture. Taffarel's courtroom testimony tore open the narrative of how the legend's care was handled. Seven healthcare professionals are currently facing trial for potential criminal negligence, carrying possible sentences of up to 25 years. The masseur's account sits right at the center of this legal reckoning.
Inside the Room Where Maradona Spent His Last Days
Taffarel started working with Maradona in 2018. By November 2020, following brain surgery, home care arrangements were put in place. According to the testimony, those arrangements broke down almost immediately. Maradona simply refused to leave his bed. He did not want to wash, change his clothes, or eat.
The physical toll was obvious to anyone who looked closely. Fluid retention caused severe swelling across his body, yet warnings sent to the medical team allegedly fell on deaf ears. Audio messages played in the courtroom captured Taffarel pleading with Leopoldo Luque, Maradona's personal physician, urging him to visit. Texts like "He's completely swollen" and "He's been sleeping for 26 hours" highlighted a desperate situation.
The response from the medical side? According to the testimony, doctors told staff to stay calm and claimed the swelling would pass on its own. It never did.
The Final Words and Signs of Resignation
On November 24, 2020, just one day before Maradona suffered a fatal heart failure and acute pulmonary edema, Taffarel visited him one last time. He tried to get the former Argentina captain to move and share a traditional mate drink.
Maradona's response was chillingly definitive. He looked at his masseur and said, "I don't want anything, that's all".
Those were the last words he spoke to the therapist. It wasn't just physical illness talking; it was profound psychological resignation. A man who once commanded the attention of entire nations slipped away in conditions that felt completely abandoned.
The Core Arguments in the Medical Negligence Trial
The ongoing courtroom battles in San Isidro focus on accountability. Prosecutors and witnesses argue that the home hospitalization setup was wholly inadequate for a patient with Maradona's complex medical history. Key points emerging from the proceedings include:
- The abrupt discontinuation of crucial diuretic medication designed to manage fluid accumulation.
- A lack of daily physical checks by qualified medical specialists.
- Disagreements among the accused doctors, psychiatrists, and nurses regarding who held primary responsibility for his daily care.
- Ignored warnings from therapists and nurses who noticed acute symptoms like severe swelling and abnormal breathing patterns.
Defendants have maintained their innocence, arguing their specialties and limited scopes did not stretch to round-the-clock intensive care monitoring. Yet testimonies like Taffarel's continue to pile pressure on the defense teams as the judicial process moves forward.
The legacy of Diego Maradona remains larger than life, immortalized in the history books of global sport. But the courtroom disclosures ensure that the painful chapters of his final days are neither forgotten nor swept under the rug. True accountability requires looking closely at how an icon was treated when he could no longer fight for himself.
