Diego Maradona

The 1986 World Cup champion's personal doctor said Maradona had an accumulation of blood on his brain.

The neurologist said the problem was likely to have been caused by an accident, but Maradona does not remember such an event.

"He has a subdural hematoma," Leopoldo Luque told journalists.

"We will do it [the surgery] today."

Maradona was admitted to a private hospital with signs of depression on Monday, three days after his 60th birthday.

Napoli midfielder Marek Hamsik played down praise after overtaking the great Diego Maradona in the list of all-time Napoli goalscorers in Serie A.

Hamsik leapfrogged Maradona – who netted 81 league goals in 188 appearances for Napoli between 1984 and 1991 – into second place in the standings with the opening goal in Napoli's 3-0 victory over Palermo on Saturday – their second successive win of the campaign.

But despite the feat, Hamsik, who is still 24 goals shy of Attila Sallustro's haul, said he is only focused on his team, not personal achievements.