Cuban leader Fidel Castro will appear on the Argentine chat show presented by former football star Diego Maradonna, local press said on Thursday.

Maradona, described by Cuban press as a close friend of Castro's, is in Cuba to do the interview, and will himself appear on Cuban TV show Information Roundtable, later on Thursday.

"Maradona arrived Havana on Oct. 25 and looks like a young boy he is so thin," said the press.

The former footballer, now 44, suffered from obesity and drug problems after giving up the sport that made him famous. Before becoming a TV presenter, he spent many years, mostly in Havana clinics, fighting his addictions.

Maradona captained Argentina to World Cup victory in 1986, but cocaine abuse undermined his career and health.

In March, he underwent an operation in Colombia to staple his stomach and reduce his ballooning weight.

Brazilian football superstar Pele was one of the first guests on the Maradonna show. The show is called Night of Number 10, after the number 10 shirt Maradonna wore when he played for Argentina's national team.

Source: Xinhua