Cuban woman accuses Diego Maradona of raping her when she was a minor

Maradona, reckoned by many as the greatest footballer ever, died last year after undergoing brain surgery on a blood clot.

A 37-year-old woman in Cuba has accused the late Argentinian icon Diego Maradona and his entourage of rape, violence, and holding her against her will. The woman, who was a minor then, had an affair with the football superstar 20 years ago when he was in Cuba for drug treatment, AFP reported. 

The woman, Mavys Alvarez Rego, now lives in Miami and has two children aged 15 and four.

"I was dazzled, he won me over... But after two months everything started to change", told the press in Buenos Aires, claiming that Maradona, who died from a heart attack a year ago at the age of 60, had pushed her into trying cocaine, in turn making her dependent.

"I loved him but I hated him too, I even thought about suicide," she said.

Alvarez Rego said the relationship with Maradona lasted "between four and five years" during which she was subjected to abuse, according to the report.

Recalling one of the incidents, Alvarez Rego said she was held against her will in a hotel for several weeks during a trip to Buenos Aires with Maradona in 2001. She also claimed that she was raped by him on one occasion in Havana and physically abused several times.

No complaint has been filed by Alvarez Rego yet, but she is providing evidence to an Argentine prosecutor this week after a complaint was filed by an Argentine NGO.

Maradona, who is considered to be the greatest footballer in the history of the game, died last year after undergoing brain surgery on a blood clot.