Diego Maradona ‘died poor’ with ‘just £75,000 in his account

Diego Maradona ‘died poor’ with ‘almost nothing left in his bank account’, it has been claimed.

Maradona, who died from a heart attack at the age of 60 on Wednesday, squandered much of his vast fortune through a combination of a life of excess and having his money ‘stolen’ by people who took advantage of his remarkable generosity, according to a report in Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.

The Argentina legend, who was arguably the greatest footballer in history, raked in huge sums through contracts with brands such as Puma, as well as £15million per year through being honorary president of Dynamo Brest in Belarus and coaching stints in the Middle East, yet had less than £75,000 in his bank accounts, the report claims.

It quotes an Argentine journalist called Luis Ventura who ‘had always been close’ to Maradona as saying on television programme Fantino a la Tarde: ‘He had almost nothing left in his bank account, he died poor.’

His estate includes ‘jewels, land, prestigious properties including an entire building and several apartments in the centre of Buenos Aires, six luxury cars including BMW, Audi and Rolls Royce, investments in Cuba and Italy, football schools in China and image rights contracts that will remain in effect even after death’, according to Corriere della Sera.

His estate could, therefore, be potentially worth up to £150m, according to reports in Argentina.