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FC Porto defeated Olympique Marseille 3-0 in Tuesday’s Champions League game with Moussa Marega finding the net.

The striker’s early strike propelled Sergio Conceicao’s team to a commanding home triumph over the French team at the Estadio do Dragao.

Porto showed their desire to pick all maximum points at stake by taking a fourth minute lead through Marega, who poked the ball into an empty net thanks to a sublime assist from Jesus Corona.

The 29-year-old last scored for Conceicao’s side came in the 3-1 defeat of Serie A giants Roma on March 6, 2019. Interestingly, the Dragons have won all seven of their Champions League games in which the Malian has scored for the Portuguese side.

Five minutes later, the visitors were presented with a golden chance to equalise after on loan Chelsea defender of Senegalese descent Malang Sarr fouled Florian Thauvin in the area. Dimitri Payet played the ensuing kick over the cross bar despite sending goalkeeper Agustin Marchesin the wrong way.

In the 25th minute, Corona was fouled in Marseille’s goal area prompting Spanish referee Antonio Lahoz to award a penalty which was converted by Sergio Oliveira.

Andre Villas-Boas’ men came out stronger in the second-half, however, they lacked the cutting edge in the final third.

Luis Diaz made it three for Porto in the 69th minute after been released by Corona who dribbled past three defenders.

Nigeria international Zaidu Sanusi and Congo DR’s Chancel Mbemba put up an impressive shift as they were too strong for the French team’s attacking forays.

Portugal’s Romario Baro was brought in as a replacement for Marega with 10 minutes left to play. For the Phocaeans, Cameroonian goalkeeper Simon Ngapandouetnbu was an unused substitute.

Thanks to this result, the Portuguese topflight side are second in Group C having accrued six points from three games - three points below leaders Manchester City.

Before travelling to Stade Velodrome on November 25, they take on Portimonense and Fabril Barreiro in the Primeira Liga and Taca de Portugal respectively.

John Stones had an "almost perfect" performance as he made his first start for Manchester City in over a month, according to Pep Guardiola.

Stones partnered Nathan Ake in the centre of defence as City beat Olympiacos 3-0 at the Etihad Stadium to make it three wins from three Champions League group games this season.

Guardiola's men restricted the Greek champions to a solitary shot on target on a night when goals from Ferran Torres, Gabriel Jesus and Joao Cancelo helped City earn a comfortable three points, and Stones' display on his full return to the side delighted his coach.

"Last season we did not have enough players for competitions when we had a nightmare with injuries," Guardiola told BT Sport.

"It was really good, especially Nathan for the beginning and from John. He's back at his level with an incredible performance – almost perfect – and it is not easy when you are a long time without playing.

"I am so delighted for his mentality, he played really good."

Guardiola also welcomed the return of Jesus, who made only his second City appearance of the season when he came on as a second-half substitute.

The 23-year-old Brazil international scored within 12 minutes of his introduction to double City's lead – an intervention Guardiola picked out as the key moment of the game.

"[We were] exceptional first half, unfortunately we could not finish with more goals because we played really well," said Guardiola.

"In the second half we struggled for some moments but when we scored the second one the game was over. We struggled a bit to find the second goal but finally with an incredible goal from Gabriel and then from Joao, we finished the game.

"In general it's good news for him and for us that Gabriel is back. It was a real solid performance, especially in the first half, and the reason why we struggled a little bit is because we could not score the second one."

Looking ahead to his side's clash with Premier League champions Liverpool at Etihad Stadium on Sunday, Guardiola added: "Now it's good, we have finally four or five days to recover well and prepare for Liverpool and the international break, and focus on the Premier League."

Bayern Munich became the first team in Champions League history to score four goals in the last 15 minutes of a game after emphatically seeing off Salzburg 6-2.

Champions League holders Bayern made history thanks to goals from Jerome Boateng, Leroy Sane, Robert Lewandowski and Lucas Hernandez during the final 11 minutes on Tuesday.

Bayern bounced back from Mergim Berisha's fourth-minute opener in Salzburg, where the German visitors fell behind for the first time in 11 Champions League matches.

Lewandowski's 21st-minute penalty and Rasmus Kristensen's own goal gave Hansi Flick's Bayern a 2-1 lead on the stroke of half-time.

Austrian champions Salzburg restored parity via Masaya Okugawa in the 66th minute before Bayern finished strongly to maintain their 100 per cent start in Group A.

Bayern - who stretched their unbeaten away streak in the Champions League to 15 games, only Manchester United (16 between 2007 and 2010) having achieved a longer such run - top the group by five points, ahead of Atletico Madrid.

A win for the German giants in their next Champions League match against Salzburg at Allianz Arena on November 25 will secure qualification for the knockout stage.

Bayern started the group stage with a thumping 4-0 home win against Atletico last month, with Kingsley Coman grabbing a brace, while Leon Goretzka and Corentin Tolisso also got on the scoresheet.

Their second match on the road in Russia against Lokomotiv Moscow wasn't as straightforward, with the home side cancelling out Goretzka's opener before Joshua Kimmich scored the winner with 11 minutes on the clock.

Bayern's defence of their Bundesliga title has also got off to a flying start with the Bavarians currently sitting first in the standings by goal difference over Dortmund.

They have scored an incredible 24 goals in their six league matches so far, which is 11 more than the next best tally from Dortmund.

After starting the league campaign with an 8-0 rout of Schalke, Bayern suffered a shock 4-1 loss against Hoffenheim before embarking on a four-game win streak.

A 4-3 win against Hertha Berlin started the run, before they swept aside Arminia Bielefeld 4-1 and Eintracht Frankfurt 5-0.

In their most recent league match, Bayern suffered a late scare when Cologne pulled a goal back before holding on for a 2-1 win.

Mathare United have completed the signing of striker Eugene Wethuli to strengthen their attacking department ahead of the new campaign.

The Slum Boys have been busy in the latter stages of the transfer window, making signings to help them compete effectively in the 2020/21 Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Premier League.

Subsequently, the Nairobi-based charges have confirmed the arrival of the striker on Tuesday.

"Eugene is now a Slumboy," Mathare United communicated via their official social media accounts.

"Wethuli Eugene has joined us on a two-year deal from Nairobi Stima FC. He is a strong and agile centre-forward with an eye for the spectacular.

"[Welcome] Eugene."

Two years ago, the forward injured his leg and went for surgery. After a successful operation, he rejoined the National Super League (NSL) side Nairobi Stima. 

However, he was among the players released in February 2020 alongside Jacob Osano, Daniel Opondo, John Njoroge, Victor Amemo, Francis Oduor, and Joshua Mahero.

Earlier on Tuesday, the 2008 league champions confirmed they had also signed former AFC Leopards defender Moses Mburu.

"Another former ‘Slum Boy’ has returned back home. Moses Mburu has inked a two-year deal with us returning to continue where he left off in 2017," Mathare United confirmed on Tuesday.

"A marauding full-back who can easily slot in also at left midfield, Mburu brings with him that decisive x-factor that is synonymous with Mathare United players."

At the start of the day, Mathare United also confirmed the signing of midfielder Cersidy Okeyo from Sofapaka.

On signing Okeyo, Mathare United said: "Another one, you wanted a midfield enforcer, we've gone out of our way to get the engine. Cersidy Okeyo is now a Slum Boy after spells at Tusker, Gor Mahia, and Sofapaka."

The Salim Ali-led team have also signed former Posta Rangers forward Danson Kago on a two-year deal.

With the transfer window being extended for another four days, Mathare United have promised more signings with defender David Ochieng’ likely to be unveiled soon.

The Football Kenya Federation (FKF) confirmed on Monday they had extended the transfer window which was scheduled to shut on Monday midnight.

According to a statement from the FKF, signed by Head of Competitions Frank Ogolla, the window was extended to allow the conclusion of the play-offs which will determine which team will be promoted to the top-flight.
  

If you've ever seen the Barcelona crest, you'll probably be familiar with some elements of it.

It is natural to think that the red and white flag on the upper-left hand corner is that of the English flag, but while it does bear some similarities, it actually represents something else.

So what does the red cross over the white background on Barcelona's crest symbolise? Goal takes a look.

What has become to be known as the English flag - a red cross over a white background - is actually St George's cross.

St George is known as a heroic military saint and a crusader, and his cross became the national flag of England since the early modern period.

He is known as the patron saint for both England and also Catalonia, known as Sant Jordi to Catalans.

The flag of Barcelona itself incorporates St George's cross, the red and yellow stripes of the Senyera and the symbol of the Crown of Aragorn.

Barcelona's crest, in turn, consists of St George's cross in the upper-left corner, the Catalan flag next to it, and the team colours (blue and red) below.

St George is celebrated in Barcelona with St George's Day, having become the symbol of Catalonia during the Renaixenca - a political and cultural movement that took place during the nineteenth century who fought to reclaim Catalan identity.

The mythology of Sant Jordi involves his acts of heroism in Catalonia, particularly with his famed battle against the dragon.

The legend states that, long ago in the Catalan village Montblanc, the villagers were terrorised by a dragon who frightened the citizens and ate the animals until there was no more livestock left.

The villagers decided to sacrifice one person every day by a lottery system in order to satiate the dragon's hunger, with the sacrifice also a representation of the peoples' good will.

One day, however, it was the king's daughter who was chosen to be sacrificed to the dragon. But as she was about to be devoured, a knight - Sant Jordi - showed up to face the beast and killed him, rescuing the daughter.

After stabbing the dragon, a red rose bush grew from the blood that poured out of him. Since then, it has been a Catalan tradition to give a rose to a loved one.

It is because of this that his flag appears on both the flag of Barcelona as well as the club's official crest.

St George is celebrated on April 23 - St George's Day - and is the Catalan version of Valentine's Day.

AC Milan also have a similar red cross atop a white background on their crest, but it is not representative of St George.

Their crest instead is a tribute to Saint Ambrose and the city of Milan, dating back to the fourth century.

St Ambrose was previously the Bishop of Milan between 374 and 397 and is a patron saint of the city, the flag designed in honour of him.

Barcelona's difficult financial situation means they will have to sell players in January in order to be able to afford any new signings. 

Interim president Carles Tusquets told the media on Monday that his side would need to be creative to add any players in the winter window.

“If we sell during the winter transfer window, we will be able to buy. We can also sign players who are out of contract. That is the situation,” Tusquets said. 

Tusquets has taken over on a temporary basis at Camp Nou after the resignation of Josep Maria Bartomeu and his entire board last week, and is hopeful new elections can be held around the Christmas period.

After the transfer window reopens, Barcelona will face a difficult task to add to their squad as they target several players from abroad. 

One of those is Lyon star Memphis Depay, who nearly arrived in the summer window after agreeing personal terms with Barca, only for the deal to collapse due to Barca exceeding their accepted wage budget. 

Depay's deal with Lyon expires at season's end and Barca are also targeting two players from the Premier League who have expiring contracts: Manchester City defender Eric Garcia and Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum.

Barcelona head coach Ronald Koeman is particularly keen to be reunited with Depay and Wijnaldum, players he managed while in charge of the Netherlands.

One player almost certainly not arriving at Camp Nou is Inter striker Lautaro Martinez, a player long linked with a move to the Catalans. The Argentina international is outside of Barca's financial reach and is nearing a contract extension with the Nerazzurri.

Should Barca obtain the finances to make a move in January, the money would likely come from the sale of a handful of players who are available, including Ousmane Dembele, Samuel Umtiti, Carles Alena and Martin Braithwaite among others. 

On Monday, Tusquets said that Barca are looking to come to an agreement with players over wage cuts as the club deals with the continuing financial fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.

“I think we can reach an agreement. It seems to me that there is a willingness to do so. We do not want to take money from anyone but to adjust salaries so we can pay them when possible – this is the solution we think is the most viable given the circumstances."

Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe shouldn't be on the sidelines for long despite having not recovered from injury in time to meet RB Leipzig in Wednesday's Champions League clash, coach Thomas Tuchel has said. 

The Germans host PSG in a re-run of August's semi-final, which was won by the Parisians 3-0 to book their place in the decider against Bayern Munich. 

This time round, however, they will be without both Neymar and Mbappe, who have both succumbed to physical troubles. 

Neymar suffered a groin injury last week against Basaksehir which is expected to keep the Brazilian sidelined until after the November international break, and while Mbappe's muscular complaint, sustained at the weekend in PSG's victory over Nantes, is not as severe, he will not be risked for the midweek fixture. 

"It will not be longer. The injury is very minor," Tuchel explained to reporters when asked if Mbappe would also miss several matches for his club. "Unfortunately, he is in a risk zone. The doctor explained this to me. He couldn't be with the team, it's a shame for us.

"We can't take risks, that would have been too much, and we have to find solutions without Kylian.

"We will have eleven key players tomorrow and we will do it as a team. If you read the list of absentees and the squad that is there, it's not going to be a big secret to know who starts tomorrow, you have to trust the eleven players. It will be a team effort."

While Tuchel emphasised the importance of PSG's collective effort in overcoming the loss of Neymar and Mbappe, he also admitted that the performance of Angel Di Maria, one of the stars of the club's journey to the final in August, would be crucial - although the Argentine has been short of match practice recently after a lengthy suspension.

"He's still a key player, but he also lacks rhythm. We shouldn't expect too much from him, he was suspended for four matches," the coach added. "He needs rhythm, he likes to play a lot to gain confidence in dribbling and finishing. He only played the Champions League for us and I don't want to put all the pressure on him even though he's still a very important player."

Egypt are hoping to have the services of Liverpool star Mohamed Salah for this summer's Olympics in Tokyo, according to the team's coach Shawky Gharib.

Gharib indicated earlier this year that he was planning on selecting Salah for his squad before the Olympics were moved from 2020 to 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

In January, Liverpool head coach Jurgen Klopp admitted that he wasn't too excited about the idea of Salah being named as one of Egypt's three overage players for the Under-23 event in Tokyo.

“The Olympics is a wonderful thing but it would not be too cool,” Klopp said of his star's inclusion in the team after a demanding club campaign.

With the postponed Olympics now on the horizon again, it appears Salah could again be in the middle of a tug-of-war between club and country. 

"We have a great player like Salah, and we hope that the negotiations for his inclusion in our team will reach a position that will benefit us," Gharib said at a press conference on Tuesday.

"As a technical body and a football association, of course we have a desire to see Salah in our team in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, because your ambition varies and increases with the quality of your players," he added.

"We have talked so far about including Salah, and we haven't decided yet if we are going to include someone else overage or not."

Salah is off to another fine start for Liverpool in the 2020-21 campaign, having scored eight goals in 10 appearances in all competitions for the Reds. 

His penalty against West Ham on Saturday helped Liverpool to a 2-1 win and put Klopp's side atop the Premier League table, but also generated plenty of controversy for the manner in which the Egyptian won the spot-kick. 

Salah threw himself to the ground under pressure from Hammers defender Arthur Masuaku and was awarded the foul, a decision that bewildered Hammers boss David Moyes.

"I’m amazed that a penalty was given in the first half. I can’t believe that we’re allowing those sorts of penalties to be awarded," Moyes told Sky Sports after the game.

Juventus' Champions League defeat to Barcelona helped them understand where they need to improve, says Andrea Pirlo, who believes playing the Blaugrana early in the competition was a positive for his side.

The Bianconeri visit Ferencvaros on Wednesday, looking to bounce back from a 2-0 loss to Barca on home soil last week.

Pirlo's men did not have a shot on target, although Alvaro Morata saw three goals ruled out for offside, and the legendary former Juve and Italy midfielder feels the game served as a valuable learning experience for his team.

Asked about the meeting with Ronald Koeman's side, Pirlo said: "They made us understand that we need to improve, that to play certain types of matches we need to have more determination and organisation. 

"We knew we were meeting a great team and maybe meeting them so soon did us good. We will work to improve and play a great match when we go to them."

In Ferencvaros, Juve are facing a side who have conceded seven goals in two games, the most of any side in the competition, and will have Cristiano Ronaldo in the squad after he missed out on the Barca clash due to his COVID-19 diagnosis.

However, Pirlo is keen not to underestimate the Hungarian side, with Juve having last lost back-to-back Champions League group-stage games in 2014.

He added: "We have studied Ferencvaros. They are a quality team and they have had two good games in the Champions League in which they deserved more. They have a good game plan and excellent attacking players."

There will be fans in the stands in Budapest, a scenario largely alien to players during the coronavirus pandemic. However, Juve prevailed with spectators present in their opening Group G game with Dynamo Kiev, and Pirlo expects having a crowd to benefit his players.

He said: "Having fans here tomorrow will also be a positive factor for us, because it helps us to raise our focus."

Under rookie boss Pirlo, who replaced Maurizio Sarri in the Juve hot seat last summer, the Turin giants have made a mixed start to the season. In Serie A they are unbeaten but have drawn three of their six fixtures to sit four points behind early leaders Milan.

Nicolas Pepe has been nominated for the Arsenal Player of the Month award for October.

The Cote d’Ivoire international compete with September’s winner Gabriel Magalhaes, Anglo-Nigerian Bukayo Saka and Hector Bellerin for the monthly gong.

Pepe, 25, who joined the Emirates Stadium giants on August 1, 2019, in a club-record fee of €79 million (£72 million), was in fine form for Mikel Arteta’s side in the month under review.

He was on target as the Gunners silenced Sheffield United 2-1 in a Premier League outing, while recording his name among the goalscorers as Arsenal defeated Irish league outfit Dundalk 3-0 in the Europa League. He also got an assist against Rapid Vienna in the European competition.

For Saka, he has excelled in his makeshift defensive position with solid defensive and attacking contributions for the Gunners while hitting the net against the Blades.

Bellerin and Gabriel, on their own part, were in blistering form that saw Arsenal lose just twice in six outings.

On Thursday, the quartet is expected to be in action when Norwegian side Molde visit England in a Group B Europa League fixture.

The 14-time FA Cup winners lead the log with six points from two games. On Sunday, they take on Aston Villa in an English elite division game.

With Pepe yet to justify his price tag from Ligue 1, Arteta stated the Ivorian must be more consistent while offering to be of help.

"It's about him hitting his best, every single week. I believe this is where he believes he can do better and we have to try to help him,” the Spaniard said per Goal.

"I think he's so willing to do well and show everybody and first of all his team-mates, myself and then the fans that he's a player that can make the difference every week. 

"Obviously, he's not been first choice in a lot of games but, to be fair, he's played quite a lot of moments better than others.

"It's about finding the consistency, not through the games but during the games as well, to be more insistent and be able to do the right thing in many, many occasions when he has to make the right decisions on the pitch.

"We are working on that and hopefully he will be doing that much more efficiently."

Chippa United secured a 3-1 win over Maritzburg United in a Premier Soccer League (PSL) match which was played at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Tuesday night.

Daylon Claasen handed the Team of Choice an early lead, but Bienvenu Eva Nga scored three times to inspire the Chilli Boys to a well-deserved victory. 

The Chilli Boys were keen to secure their maiden win of the season after succumbing to a 1-0 defeat to Kaizer Chiefs at home in their previous encounter last week.

With his side having failed to score against Chiefs, coach Lehlohonolo Seema named two out-and-out strikers, Augustine Chidi Kwem and Eva Nga in the starting line-up.

On the other hand, the Team of Choice were desperate to end their eight-match winless run in the league having suffered a 1-0 defeat to Cape Town City at home last week.

Seema's counterpart, Eric Tinkler kept his faith in midfielders Daylon Claasen and Keagan Buchanan, while Nathanael Bongo-Mbourou made his return to the starting line-up.

Maritzburg got off to the perfect start as they broke the deadlock just 10 minutes into the match with the Chippa defence caught ball-watching.

Claasen pounced on to a tame shot from Buchanan and tapped home to make it 1-0 to Maritzburg with the former 1860 Munich midfielder netting his maiden goal of this season.

The Chilli Boys then pressed the Team of Choice as they looked to restore parity and they were awarded a penalty after Kwem was fouled in the box seven minutes before the half-hour mark.

Eva Nga stepped up and he made no mistake as he beat Maritzburg goalkeeper Jethren Barr from the spot-kick to make it 1-1, with the 27-year-old striker opening his scoring account at Chippa.

Maritzburg did most of the attacking with the half-time break approaching with Bongo-Mbourou's effort narrowly missing the target after connecting with Kwanda Mngonyama's cross.

Thabiso Kutumela watched on in disbelief as his curling effort which heading for the top corner was brilliantly saved by Chippa keeper Veli Mothwa and the score was 1-1 at the interval. 

The Chilli Boys were the better side after the restart with Seema having introduced former Bloemfontein Celtic attacking midfielder Tumiso Mogakwe.

The hosts were awarded their second penalty after Eva Nga was sent through on goal, but he was fouled by Barr and the match referee pointed directly to the penalty spot. 

Former Bidvest Wits centre forward Eva Nga then dusted himself off and hit the back of the net from the spot-kick to make it 2-1 to Chippa a minute before the hour-mark.

The momentum was with the Chilli Boys and they managed to extend their lead in the 66th minute following a good move involving Mogakwe and Eva Nga. 

Mogakwe's defence-splitting pass found Eva Nga, who fired past Barr with a decent finish as he grabbed the first hat-trick of the season in the PSL. 

Things went from bad to worse for the Team of Choice as they were reduced to 10 players when Sibusiso Hlubi was shown a straight red card after making a reckless challenge on Sizwe Mdlinzo.

The visitors launched attacks in the closing stages of the match despite being numerically disadvantaged, but Mothwa pulled off a great save to deny Judas Moseamedi to ensure that Chippa ran out 3-1 winners over Maritzburg on the night.

The victory took the Chilli Boys to the fourth spot on the league standings, while the Team of Choice remained 15th on the table.

Liverpool's hopes of defending their first Premier League title took a turn after their star defender Virgil van Dijk suffered a knee injury during the Merseyside derby.

Van Dijk clashed with Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and was forced to limp off the pitch after just 11 minutes, with Liverpool later confirming he had damaged the anterior cruciate ligament in the knee.

So will he be forced to miss the rest of the season? Goal takes a look.

Will Van Dijk be out for the rest of the season?

Liverpool have not set a timeline for Van Dijk's full return to fitness, but it is safe to say that he will likely miss out on the majority of the 2020-21 campaign.

The Netherlands centre-back successfully underwent surgery in October following his clash with Pickford, with Liverpool confirming the outcome of the procedure.

“The Liverpool defender’s planned operation took place in London and was conducted successfully," Liverpool stated on their official website.

"Van Dijk will now immediately focus on the beginning of his rehabilitation with the support of the Reds' medical department. No timeframe has been placed on the Dutchman’s return to action.”

ACL injuries can take anywhere from six to 12 months to recover from, and so Van Dijk's most hopeful return date will be around April or May.

Still, a return in the spring will mean that he will be unavailable for most of the current season, including the entire Champions League group-stage campaign.

Van Dijk has expressed his optimism ahead of the recovery period, vowing on his Twitter to return to action stronger than before: "This afternoon I met with a leading consultant to start the process of planning the finer details of my rehabilitation following the incident yesterday," he said.

"I'm now fully focused on my recovery and will do everything I can to be back as quickly as possible.

"Despite the obvious disappointment, I'm a firm believer that within difficulty lies opportunity and with God's help I'm going to make sure I return better, fitter and stronger than ever before."

Van Dijk's absence will no doubt be a huge blow to Liverpool, with the Netherlands international previously not missing a single minute of Premier League action since September 2018. His injury against Everton ended a 74-game streak.

He was instrumental in the Reds' successful 2019-20 Premier League campaign, with ex-Liverpool vice-captain Jamie Carragher suggesting that his absence will leave the title up for grabs.

"So I think it blows the title race wide open, I really do," said Carragher.

"I still felt at the start of this season that Liverpool certainly were the team to beat, and I think with Van Dijk being out for what looks like the whole season, now I think it's going to be all on."

Will Van Dijk be fit for the Euros in 2021?

The Euros, which were originally due to be held in 2020 but were pushed back for a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, is slated to take place from June 11 to July 11.

Realistically, Van Dijk has a very strong chance of returning to full fitness in time to represent the Netherlands in UEFA's showpiece continental tournament.

Should he be able to recover by spring, it would potentially leave him several weeks to resume training before linking up with the national team ahead of preparation for the Euros.

Diego Maradona will undergo surgery on Tuesday to treat a serious subdural hematoma, his doctor confirmed. 

Maradona was admitted to hospital on Monday after reportedly feeling unwell for several days. He appeared weak and needed help walking in his most recent public appearance on Friday.

While early statements from personal physician Leopoldo Luque were upbeat, it was later revealed that the legend would require an operation after a blood clot was discovered on his brain. 

"Diego is conscious, he understands and agrees with this intervention," Luque explained to reporters outside the Ipensa clinic in La Plata, 37 miles south of Buenos Aires. "He is very calm. This is a routine surgery. He has something similar to what [former President of Argentina and current vice-president] Cristina [Fernandez de Kirchner] had."

Maradona's personal doctor had previously said that the 60-year-old's condition is improving. 

“He is much better than yesterday, and he is looking forward to leaving. I would like him to stay one more day,” Luque told local media.

“He is anemic, a little dehydrated, we must correct this and see that he continues to improve. We want to improve his condition as much as possible, and we need a little more time for that."

Luque admitted that he had a minor disagreement with Maradona over the length of his stay in the hospital, with the doctor looking to keep the World Cup winner hospitalised for a bit longer.

"Because he sees himself better, he wants to leave," Luque said. "I asked him to hang on. He had a good night and is in a good mood. We were joking around and we walked a bit inside the clinic. He's evolving as we expected."

Fans of Gimnasia La Plata, the local club where Maradona serves as head coach, flocked outside the hospital – a gesture that Luque said can be beneficial for the icon's recovery. 

“What he needs most is the support of the people,” Luque said.

Maradona, who turned 60 on Friday, has had a number of health scares over the years. The former Boca Juniors, Barcelona and Napoli star underwent gastric bypass surgery in 2005 to help in his battle with weight, then underwent the same procedure again in 2015. 

He was also admitted to hospital in January 2019 with internal bleeding in the stomach, while he fell ill at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, being filmed passing out at the game between Argentina and Nigeria.

Widely considered one of the greatest players of all time, Maradona won the 1986 World Cup with Argentina before falling short in the final four years later.