A BRIT footballer who was friends with Maradona was found dead after leaving worrying notes, an inquest has heard.
Martyn Gilson-Clarke, 42, moved to join Diego Maradona's club in Argentina after the Falklands War - and was taken to dinner by the 'Hand of God' superstar.
He was found dead in his flat in Cheltenham Road, Gloucester, on 14th December last year, the inquest was told.
Assistant Gloucestershire Coroner Roland Wooderson said Mr Gilson-Clarke had left notes that “seem to indicate his wish to take his own life.”
He recorded a suicide conclusion.
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Mr Gilson-Clarke, whose father was a Royal Marine who fought in the South Atlantic conflict, was a teenager living on the islands - known as Malvinas to the Argentinians - when he left in 1999 to play for Argentina's Boca Juniors team.
There he met Maradona, who took him out for a pizza and even lent him his phone so Martyn could call his Mum.
Last week's inquest heard that Mr Gilson-Clarke had not been seen for six days before December 14 so the landlord of his ground floor flat went to make a welfare check on him.
He found the door locked and was unable to get any response.
The landlord used his key to gain entry to the flat and found Mr Gilson-Clarke on the floor of his bedroom.
Post-mortem examination revealed that Mr Gilson-Clarke had taken a variety of drugs and alcohol prior to death, the coroner said.
The cause of death was given by the pathologist as ashyxia.
There were no friends or relatives of Mr Gilson-Clarke in attendance at yesterday's inquest and no evidence was given about his background, employment or family life.
However, an obituary in an Argentinian newspaper told of his exciting career in football.
It states Mr Gilson-Clarke was born in England and moved with his family to the Malvinas Islands at a very young age.
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After standing head and shoulders above the rest while playing football on the island, he headed to mainland Argentina in 1999, when he was 19 years old, to train at Boca Juniors.
The day he arrived, he went straight from the airport to the club and was invited by Maradona to watch a match in his VIP box.
Later, at a pizzeria, Maradona lent him his mobile phone.
Mr Gilson-Clarke told journalists: "I called my mum.
“I said: 'Guess where I am?'"
In 2002 Gilson-Clarke returned to the UK and played between 2002-2004 for Brentwood FC.
A police report to the Coroner said Mr Gilson-Clarke was lying on his back when he was found.
There was no indication of any third party involvement in his death and there were no suspicious circumstances.
Police were able to confirm identification of Mr Gilson-Clarke's body from his driving licence, which was in the flat.
The Coroner said "I have seen a number of notes which were left. I understand what is said in those notes. I don't intend to go through them in any detail."
He concluded "It is clear on the evidence that on December 14, 2022, Mr Gilson-Clarke was found deceased at his home address. D
"Notes left by the deceased seem to indicate his wish to take his own life. The approproate conclusion on the balance of probabilities is that of suicide."
