Maradona surgery deemed successful

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP):

Argentine football legend Diego Maradona has been released from hospital following successful surgery for stomach bleeding.

His lawyer, Matias Morla, said that the 58-year old former Boca Juniors and Napoli player, and current coach of the Dorados de Sinaloa in Mexico's second division, was heading home yesterday "to continue with his recovery".

Late Saturday, Morla tweeted, "Thank God everything went perfectly" after the surgery at the Olivos clinic in Argentina.

Maradona had gone to the clinic a little over a week ago for routine tests that detected stomach bleeding.

Once recovered, Maradona is expected to return to his team in Mexico.

The 1986 World Cup champion has a long history of hospitalisations for various reasons, including heart problems related to cocaine use, gastric bypass surgery, and osteoarthritis in both knees.