Diego Maradona passes away at the age of 60
Diego Maradona Credit: Extratime Team (ETPhotos)
Argentinian World Cup winner Diego Armando Maradona has died following a heart attack at the age of 60, his lawyer has confirmed.
The Buenos Aires native, who was recovering from surgery to remove blood from his brain earlier this month, passed away on Wednesday morning after taking ill.
Argentina has declared three days of national mourning in tribute to one of its most famous sons, who led the country to their second World Cup crown in Mexico in 1986.
Maradona also competed for his country at the World Cups in 1982, 1990, when they finished runners-up in Italy, and 1994 before retiring with 91 caps to his name.
In 2000, he was named FIFA's Player of the Century, an award he shared with Pelé, and he is generally regarded as one of the greatest to play the game.
After five years in the first team at Argentinos Junior, Maradona had spells with Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell’s Old Boys before finishing his career back at Boca.
Maradona is perhaps best remembered for his tournament-defining performance at the 1986 World Cup, where he was awarded the Golden Ball after scoring five times on the way to the title.
His two goals in the quarter-final win over England have taken on iconic status for very different reasons, the first dubbed ‘the Hand of God’ and the second arguably the greatest ever scored.
Maradona opened the scoring early in the second half as the 5’5 forward leapt above England goalkeeper Peter Shilton before punching the ball into the net.
His second arrived ten minutes later, a slaloming run that saw him beat five players, including Shilton, showing otherworldly balance before nudging the ball home.
Maradona would also score both goals in the semi-final win over Belgium before Argentina ran out 3-1 winners in the final against West Germany.
His most fruitful years were spent in Italy with Napoli, where he captained the club to their first-ever Scudetti in 1987 and 1990, the first time a club from southern Italy had won Serie A.
The barrel-chested playmaker became the enduring face of the city but his personal problems, including cocaine addiction, forced him to return to Spain in search of a fresh start with Sevilla.
He was twice banned for failed drugs tests, in 1991 and 1994, the latter bringing a premature end to his international career as he was sent home two games into the World Cup in the USA.
A outspoken socialist, Maradona had tattoos of his friend Fidel Castro and Che Guevara on his leg and arm respectively, and frequently advocated for social justice in Argentina and abroad.
His playing career came to an end in 1997 as he closed out a second spell with Boca, and he moved into management, leading his country to the quarter-finals of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Maradona is survived by his ex-wife Claudia Villafane, daughters Dalma and Giannina, and son Diego Junior, as well as his grandchildren.
