Diego Maradona, widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, has died at the age of 60.
The Argentine football legend led his country, Argentina to World Cup success in 1986 and scored 34 goals in 91 appearances for his country; Maradona won two Serie A titles with Napoli and also played for Barcelona, Sevilla, Boca Juniors, and Newell’s Old Boys.
Maradona was the inspiration and captain for Argentina’s World Cup success in Mexico in 1986, winning the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player.
He scored twice against England in a memorable 2-1 quarter-final win, his first goal being dubbed ‘the hand of God’ and the second winning the ‘Goal of the Century’ award on the FIFA website in 2002.
Maradona’s spokesman, Sebastian Sanchi, said he died on Wednesday of a heart attack, two weeks after being released from a hospital in Buenos Aires following brain surgery.
The Argentine FA confirmed the news in a statement on Twitter which read: “The Argentine Football Association, through its President Claudio Tapia, expresses its deepest sorrow for the death of our legend, Diego Armando Maradona.
“You will always be in our hearts.”
Brazilian soccer legend, great Pele led the tributes on Twitter, writing: “What sad news. I lost a great friend and the world lost a legend. There is still much to be said, but for now, may God give strength to family members. One day, I hope we can play ball together in the sky.”
Que notícia triste. Eu perdi um grande amigo e o mundo perdeu uma lenda. Ainda há muito a ser dito, mas por agora, que Deus dê força para os familiares. Um dia, eu espero que possamos jogar bola juntos no céu. pic.twitter.com/6Li76HTikA
— Pelé (@Pele) November 25, 2020
Following the 1986 triumph, Maradona led his country to the final of the 1990 tournament in Italy, although his international playing career ended in shame when he failed a drugs test at the 1994 World Cup in the United States and he was notorious for a wayward lifestyle throughout his life.
He was also banned from football in 1991 after testing positive for cocaine while playing for Napoli.
However, he remained a revered figure at the Italian club, where he won two Serie A titles. He also played for Barcelona, Sevilla, Boca Juniors, and Newell’s Old Boys.
