Argentine legend Diego Maradona described his decision to coach second-division Mexican club Dorados as a rebirth after years battling addictions, as he officially became the team-s new manager Monday.

Maradona has raised eyebrows with the decision to accept a job in the heart of Mexican drug cartel country -- the rough-and-tumble state of Sinaloa. But in his first press conference for Dorados, he described the job as a healthy new beginning after a long "sickness," alluding to his very public struggles with drug addiction, alcoholism and obesity.