A leaked video has surfaced this week allegedly showing former Argentinian soccer star Diego Maradona hitting his ex-girlfriend.
According to the Spanish newspaper El Mundo, the video captures an intoxicated Maradona speaking to his ex, 24-year-old Rocío Oliva, in an aggressive manner before physically assaulting her.
"Stop! Stop! Stop hitting me,” the woman cries out in the clip, according to a NY Daily News translation.
Watch the alleged attack in the video above.
According to Argentine journalist Marina Calabró, Maradona, 53, admitted to being the man in the video and said he threw Oliva’s phone to the ground. However, he insists that he did not hit his ex.
As Sports Illustrated points out, Oliva has previously accused Maradona of domestic violence. In this 2013 photograph, the couple (Oliva on the right) is pictured attending a soccer match in Rome, Italy:
The former soccer player, who led the Argentinian national team to World Cup victory in 1986, has a history of violent behavior in public. Earlier this year, he was captured on camera slapping a journalist in Buenos Aires. Maradona allegedly assaulted the man for “winking” at his ex-partner, Veronica Ojeda.
Maradona is considered one of the best soccer players to have ever lived. The Argentine, whose famous "Hand of God" goal against England at the 1986 World Cup remains one of the most controversial in soccer history, was named FIFA's Player of the Century in 2000. He shared the title with Brazilian soccer legend, Pelé.
Need help? In the U.S., call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) for the National Domestic Violence Hotline.
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