Inarguably one of the greatest football players of all time Diego Maradona has tragically died in Buenos Aires at age 60.
According to AP sources, Maradona died of a heart attack two weeks after being released from a Buenos Aires hospital following brain surgery.
The Argentine football legend was widely regarded as one of the true greats of the sports, leading his country to a World Cup title in 1986 after his iconic ‘Hand of God’ goal.
Maradona was truly the epitome of a rags to riches story, being born into a shantytown outside of Buenos Aires, then going on to not only be the youngest Argentine to play for the national team, but also being named player of the century.
In 2001, FIFA named Maradona one of the two greatest players in the history of the sport, alongside Brazilian icon Pele.
Following his football career, Maradona returned to the sport as the coach of Argentina’s national football team.
But in addition to his stellar football career, Maradona will be remembered as “the voice of the people,” who once told the Pope that he should “sell” the Vatican’s gold ceilings if he wanted to help the poor.
“I’ve been to the Vatican and seen the gold ceilings. And then I hear the Pope saying that the Church was concerned about poor kids. So? Sell the ceilings, mate,” he said.
Later in life, Maradona struggled with obesity and cocaine use, which could have played a part in his tragic and untimely death at just 60 years of age.
Following his death, the office of Argentina’s president has declared three days of national mourning for the man who was widely considered ‘Argentina’s son’.
“You took us to the top of the world,” Argentine President Alfredo Fernández said. “You made us incredibly happy. You were the greatest of all.”
Maradona is likely to receive a state funeral as the country mourns his untimely passing.
Naturally, football fans and players across the globe have taken to social media in the hours following his death to memorialise and honor the sporting legend.
🙏🇦🇷 The farewell message from #Messi to Maradona pic.twitter.com/LlCrjVj6er
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) November 25, 2020
UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin: “I am deeply saddened to hear of the death of Diego Maradona, one of world football’s greatest and most iconic figures. He achieved greatness as a wonderful player with a genius and charisma of his own.” pic.twitter.com/BYGWL2sNFZ
— UEFA (@UEFA) November 25, 2020
Napoli fans flocked to Diego Maradona’s mural in Naples to remember their club’s most iconic player. 💙 pic.twitter.com/o8iQ8knNrB
— Squawka Live (@Squawka_Live) November 25, 2020
