Diego Maradona, regarded by many as the greatest footballer of all time, has died just a few weeks after his 60th birthday.
Maradona, the midfield linchpin of the Argentina side that won the 1986 World Cup and former national team manager, had successful surgery to remove a blood clot on the brain in a Buenos Aires hospital earlier this month.
His personal physician Dr Leopoldo Luque said the early signs were “favourable”, but it has been reported that Maradona suffered a fatal heart attack at his home on Wednesday.
Hasta siempre, Diego.
Serás #Eterno en cada corazón del planeta fútbol. pic.twitter.com/jcsGP3GlNI— Selección Argentina 🇦🇷 (@Argentina) November 25, 2020
The Argentine Football Association (AFA) tweeted “its deepest sorrow for the death of our legend, Diego Armando Maradona”, adding: “You will always be in our hearts.”
Indisputably one of the finest players to grace the game, he is thought of by many as the best following a storied career, the highlight of which came when he captained Argentina to a second World Cup crown 34 years ago.
He also led the country to the final of the 1990 tournament in Italy and managed them in South Africa in 2010.
Different Class 😪 pic.twitter.com/03Sb9gGp6p
— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) November 25, 2020
Argentina president Alberto Fernandez led the tributes to Maradona, tweeting: “You took us to the top of the world. You made us immensely happy. You were the greatest of them all.
“Thank you for having existed, Diego. We’re going to miss you all our lives.”
It is understood UEFA will hold a minute’s silence at all of Wednesday night’s Champions League matches in Maradona’s memory.
© 2020 PA Media
Picture credit: Andrew Makedonski / Shutterstock.com
