Football coach and former football player Hugo Maradona, the younger brother of the Argentine football Hall of Famer Diego Maradona, died of a heart attack at age 52 in his home at Monte de Procida on December 28, 2021.

His death comes more than a year after his older brother Diego, who is known to be one of the greatest football players of all time, passed away due to cardiac arrest at 60 years old, BBC reported.

Who is Hugo Maradona?

Hugo Hernán Maradona, famously known as El Turco, was born in Lanus, Argentina on May 9, 1969. He was the youngest of the five children of Diego "Chitoro" Maradona and Dalma Salvadora "Dona Tota" Franco. His father was a chemical factory worker of Guarani (Indigenous) and Galician (Spanish) descent, while his mother was of Italian descent.

Hugo had five sisters Maria Rosa, Ana Maria, Rita, Elsa, and Claudia. He also had two brothers Raul and Diego.

While Hugo Maradona was the lesser-known than his brother Diego Maradona in the field of football, he was also able to reach celebrity status on his own while he played in Italy, Japan, and Argentina.

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Football Career

Hugo played as a midfielder during his nomadic career in football clubs in Italy, Japan, Spain, Canada, and Argentina. He also became a coach for the Argentine Association after retiring as a player, People Pill reported.

Hugo was also a member of the Argentina U-16 national team. In 1985, they competed in China for the U-16 World Championship. Hugo scored two goals in their match against Congo leading to a 4-2 win. However, they were a point short to qualify to the group stage.

In 1987, Hugo joined his brother Diego in Napoli, however, his presence was not as impactful. Thus, he went on to represent other clubs including Rayo Vallecano and Ascoli.

In 1992, Hugo moved to Japan and played for the PJM Futures where he made 49 appearances and scored 31 goals. He also played for the Fukuoka Blux, now Avispa Fukuoka. He scored a total of 33 goals and made 48 appearances in all their competitions.

Hugo lived a quiet life in Argentina after he retired as a player from the Argentine football association.

In 2004, the former player moved to Puerto Rico where he joined the attempts of the Puerto Rican football association as a coach of the Puerto Rico Islanders, a team that competed in the American USL First Division.

After Hugo Maradona's death, Napoli released a statement expressing their sympathy for the family of Hugo.

"The thoughts of club president Aurelio De Laurentiis, vice president Edoardo De Laurentiis, officials, coaching staff, the players, and the whole SSC Napoli family are with the Maradona family after the sad passing of Hugo," they stated.

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This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Jess Smith

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