A footballer from the Falkland Islands who made headlines when he went to play in Argentina took his own life at home, a coroner has ruled.
As a teenager, Martyn Gilson-Clarke, 42, trained with Diego Maradona’s former team, Boca Juniors. After moving back to the UK, he was found dead in his flat in Gloucester on December 14. An inquest heard he had left notes which ‘seem to indicate his wish to take his own life’.
A post-mortem examination revealed that Mr Gilson-Clarke had taken a variety of drugs and alcohol prior to death and the cause of death was given as asphyxia, assistant Gloucestershire coroner Roland Wooderson said.
“The appropriate conclusion on the balance of probabilities is that of suicide,” he added.
A BBC Sport Online story in 2002 told how he left Port Stanley at the age of 16 after he was invited to train with Boca Juniors.
In doing so, Mr Gilson-Clarke, whose father was a Royal Marine and fought in the 1982 conflict, became the first Falklander to move to Argentina.
During his time back in the UK he played for Brentwood FC between 2002-2004.