Argentinian footballing legend Diego Armando Maradona died at age 60 as a result of a heart attack, local sources said on Wednesday.

The cardiac arrest took place two weeks after the former striker left the hospital where he underwent surgery for removal of a blot clot in his brain, Daily Mail said in a report.

Maradona was previously sedated by doctors to help him cope with withdrawal symptoms from alcohol dependency.

Alfredo Cahe said Maradona, who underwent emergency surgery on Tuesday for a subdural haematoma, a blood clot on the brain, had been sedated after suffering from "episodes of confusion" linked to withdrawal symptoms.

"He has to have treatment to stop drinking alcohol and all his family is in agreement that Diego, as he is now, is unmanageable," Cahe told TyC Sports, an Argentine TV channel.

Maradona, who won the World Cup with Argentina in 1986 and is considered one of the greatest players of all time, has suffered frequent periods in the hospital over the years, often due to his extravagant lifestyle.

The 60-year-old former Barcelona, Napoli and Boca Juniors player had argued to leave the Buenos Aires clinic where he was operated on but Cahe said Maradona was in no fit state to be on his own.