Buenos Aires (Argentina):Football legend Diego Armando Maradona Franco died of heart attack at his home here today, his lawyer said. Argentina has declared three days of national mourning following his death.
The 60-year-old Maradona, considered one of the greatest footballer of all time, and by many as the greatest ever, had had a successful surgery on a brain blood clot this month, just three weeks ago. He was to undergo treatment for alcohol dependency.
Maradona was captain when Argentina won the 1986 World Cup, producing a series of magical performances. He had knocked England out of the tournament with the infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal and another – widely considered to be one of the greatest goals of all time.
The soccer world lost one of its greatest stars in Diego Maradona ❤️
Never forget this goal in the 1986 World Cup.
(via @Argentina) https://t.co/EfqYFK8LC1
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 25, 2020
He played for Barcelona and Napoli during his club career.
Lionel Messi, another footballing great from Argentina, said,”Even if I played for a million years, I’d never come close to Diego Maradona. Not that I would want to anyway. He’s the greatest there’s ever been.”
Born to a poor family on October 30, 1960 at Lanús, which lies south of the capital city Buenos Aires, in the Greater Buenos Aires metropolitan area, he was a precocious talent.
At age eight, Maradona was spotted by a talent scout while he was playing in his neighbourhood club Estrella Roja. Subsequently he was given the nickname “El Pibe de Oro” (“The Golden Boy”), a name that stuck with him throughout his career. He was one of the two joint winners of the FIFA Player of the 20th Century award, along with another legend, Pele.
Maradona had also coached Argentina’s national football team in November 2008 and was in charge of the team at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
– globalbihari bureau
