Hugo Maradona, the younger brother of Argentine football legend Diego, has died of a heart attack at the age of 52.
Hugo suffered the fatal attack at his home in Naples, the city where Diego played at the peak of his career and where Hugo played as a junior, around 11.50am Tuesday.
It comes just 13 months after a cardiac arrest killed Diego – Argentina’s world cup hero and one of the greatest ever to play the game – who died in Argentina in November 2020 at the age of 60.
Hugo was seen at the Maradona stadium in Naples to take part in a ceremony in memory of his late brother and footballing legend only one month ago.
He leaves behind a wife, Paola Morra whom he married in 2016, and three children.
Hugo Maradona, brother of Diego Maradona, poses with an autographed shirt during the match honoring Diego Armando Maradona on May 24, 2021 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by SSC Napoli)
The youngest of the Maradona brothers – the others being Diego and Raul – Hugo was also a keen footballer and signed as a junior for Napoli aged 18 in 1987.
But unlike his brother, who played out his best years at Napoli and is revered in the city of Naples as something of a holy figure, Hugo was quickly loaned out to Ascoli.
On September 20, 1987, the two brothers played against each other with Diego’s Napoli coming out on top 2-1.
Hugo, who was the star of Argentina’s team at the inaugural FIFA U-16 Youth Championship in 1985, the forerunner to the present-day FIFA U-17 Cup, went on to play in minor leagues in Spain, Austria and Venezuela before ending his playing career in Japan in the late 1990s.
After that he turned to coaching, and was involved in a number of youth academies.
