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Argentine soccer icon Diego Armando Maradona went Tuesday to his country’s consulate in Dubai to recognize a baby born last month to his ex-girlfriend as his legal offspring.
The retired superstar who led Argentina to victory in the 1986 World Cup acknowledged Diego Fernando Maradona “as he always said” he would, attorney Jorge Auruccio told the media in Buenos Aires.
From this point on, the child “will receive the complete legal treatment appropriate to a son: no more, no less,” Maradona’s lawyer said.
Diego Fernando was born Feb. 13 in Buenos Aires to Veronica Ojeda.
The 52-year-old father, who now works in Dubai as a consultant to companies that organize sporting events, initially said he would travel to Argentina to formally recognize the child, but decided instead to handle it through the consulate.
Diego Fernando is the fourth child of Diego Armando Maradona, who has two adult daughters with former spouse Claudia Villafañe and a son born out of wedlock in Italy in 1986.
He is also the grandfather of Benjamin, the offspring of his daughter Giannina and rising soccer star Sergio “Kun” Aguero.
Maradona recently revealed that he is romantically involved with Rocio Oliva, 22, who plays for the women’s squad of Argentine soccer club River Plate.
