Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona died of a heart attack at the age of 60, his lawyer has confirmed.
Important points:
- Diego Armando Maradona, 60, died of a heart attack on Wednesday at his home near Buenos Aires
- Known as one of the greatest footballers of all time, he won the 1986 World Cup with Argentina
- His career and life after football have been shaped by drug addiction and health problems
The former midfielder and national coach recently struggled with health problems and successfully underwent an operation for a blood clot in the brain earlier this month.
In his home on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, he suffered a heart attack on Wednesday, said the Argentine media and acquaintances of the former player.
He was famous for his victory at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico and won the Golden Ball for best player of the tournament.
The tournament also featured his infamous “Hand of God” goal against England in the quarter-finals.
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At the club level, he entered the scene with Argentinos Juniors and then joined the club he revered as a boy, Boca Juniors, before moving to Europe in 1982 for a record transfer fee to Spanish giants Barcelona.
The time in Barcelona did not go as he or the club wanted and he moved to Italy in 1984 to play for Napoli, the Serie A team.
There he was idolized and led the previously struggling club to its first Italian championship title in 1987 before ending his career in Argentina with Boca.
After his active retirement, he held various management positions that were no more interesting than a brief and controversial period as the Argentine national coach from 2008 to 2010, before training in the Middle East and Mexico.
Although his reputation was tarnished by drug problems, indiscretions off the field and the unfortunate verdict of the national team, he remained revered in football-loving Argentina as the “Pibe de Oro” or “Golden Boy”.
Maradona was hospitalized with heart problems related to cocaine in 2000 and 2004 and is believed to have been near death. He later said he had overcome the drug problem.
Cocaine, he once famously said, has proven to be “his toughest rival”.
“You were the greatest of all”
In Argentina, the government declared three days of mourning.
President Alberto Fernandez said in a tweet: “We will miss you all our lives.”
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“They took us to the highest point in the world and made us very happy.
“You were the greatest of them all.
Thank you for being with us, Diego. “
Brazilian football legend Pele, who was ranked as one of the best of all time alongside Maradona, mourned the Argentine.
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“Sure, one day we will kick a ball into the sky together,” he said in a brief statement.
There’s more to come.
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