Diego Maradona, former Argentina attacking midfielder and manager, has died at the age of 60.
Maradona had recently returned home after successful surgery to remove a blood clot on his brain.
He is reported to have suffered a cardiac arrest at his home in Tigre, Buenos Aires, where he had been recovering after undergoing brain surgery in early November.
One of the greatest players of all time, Maradona was captain when Argentina won the 1986 World Cup, producing a series of sublime individual performances.
Maradona scored 34 goals in 91 appearances for Argentina, representing them in four World Cups.
He played for Barcelona and Napoli during his club career, winning two Serie A titles with the Italian side.
Maradona was appointed head coach of the Argentine national team in 2008 and left after the 2010 World Cup, where his side were beaten by Germany in the quarter-finals.
He later managed teams in the United Arab Emirates and Mexico and was in charge of Gimnasia y Esgrima in Argentina’s top flight at the time of his death.
The Argentine Football Association in a statement on social media, expressed “its deepest sorrow for the death of our legend”, adding: “You will always be in our hearts.”
Alberto Fernandez, the president of Argentina, said: “You took us to the top of the world. You made us immensely happy. You were the greatest of them all. while declaring three days of national mourning,
“Thank you for having existed, Diego. We’re going to miss you all our lives.”
FC Barcelona wrote in tweet “FC Barcelona expresses its deepest condolences regarding the death of Diego Armando Maradona, a player for our club (1982-84) and an icon of world football. Rest in peace Diego.”
FC Barcelona expresses its deepest condolences regarding the death of Diego Armando Maradona, a player for our club (1982-84) and an icon of world football. Rest in peace Diego
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) November 25, 2020
By: Ifunanya Ikueze
