Diego Maradona, one of football’s greatest talents, has died at the age of 60.
The Argentine suffered a heart attack at his home in Buenos Aires, having recently been treated to remove a blood clot on his brain.
A World-Cup winning captain in 1986, Maradona gripped the footballing public around the globe with a flair and panache rarely seen before.
He represented his country across four World Cups, and a total of 91 games, scoring 34 times in the process.
At club level he will be most fondly remembered for his time at Napoli, delivering two Serie A titles to the Naples club that was barely staving off relegation when he arrived.
High profile spells at Barcelona and Boca Juniors made him a household name.
Much loved in the UAE, Maradona spent time a coach of Al Wasl, and latterly Fujairah, as part of a managerial career that also included a two year stint leading his county.
The sporting world has been quick to pay tribute to an icon who transcended sport to become a global megastar, here’s a round up from social media.
A rival for so many years, Pele bid farewell to ‘a great friend’
Que notícia triste. Eu perdi um grande amigo e o mundo perdeu uma lenda. Ainda há muito a ser dito, mas por agora, que Deus dê força para os familiares. Um dia, eu espero que possamos jogar bola juntos no céu. pic.twitter.com/6Li76HTikA— Pelé (@Pele) November 25, 2020
There are simply no words in Naples…
The world awaits our words but there are no words to describe the pain we're going through. Now is the time to grieve.Diego ? pic.twitter.com/40TTOIDNQ4— Official SSC Napoli (@en_sscnapoli) November 25, 2020
Barcelona opened up the archives….
?? ¡??? ??????, ?????! pic.twitter.com/AlhKcVsYUF— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) November 25, 2020
Boca Juniors gave thanks,
Eternas gracias. Eterno Diego. pic.twitter.com/SZVNOJnZ1j— Boca Jrs. Oficial (desde ?) (@BocaJrsOficial) November 25, 2020
Gary Lineker, on the wrong end of the Hand of God in 1986, shared a video of himself with Maradona
Always a delight to be in his company. ?? https://t.co/SfTo8SLqlR— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) November 25, 2020
Here at Sport360 we went through the archives to unearth this video of him talking about his other goal in that quarter-final in Mexico City
One of football's most iconic moments, in his own words#RIPDiego pic.twitter.com/YgEjQ1Q1H1— Sport360° (@Sport360) November 25, 2020
Al Wasl – where he managed from 2011-12 paid tribute
وداعاً أيها الأسطورة ???#مارادونا #Maradona pic.twitter.com/rsFFO4Hg7m— AlWasl SC (@AlWaslSC) 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
Privileged to have met him. Very sad news. RIP Diego Maradona. pic.twitter.com/x2LcIeQPqr— Harry Kane (@HKane) November 25, 2020
Feliz cumpleaños Diego! Que nunca te falte la salud y el amor de tus afectos. Brindo en tus 60 años deseándote toda la felicidad del mundo! ⚽️??❤️ #DIE60 pic.twitter.com/cBYhdIhAVJ— Gabriel Batistuta (@GBatistutaOK) October 30, 2020
Hoje despeço-me de um amigo e o Mundo despede-se de um génio eterno. Um dos melhores de todos os tempos. Um mágico inigualável. Parte demasiado cedo, mas deixa um legado sem limites e um vazio que jamais será preenchido. Descansa em paz, craque. Nunca serás esquecido.?? pic.twitter.com/WTS21uxmdL— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) November 25, 2020
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Leo Messi (@leomessi)
RIP Legend. You will stay in the history of football forever. Thanks you for all the pleasure you gave to the whole world ????❤️ AÏE AÏE AÏE F*CKING 2020 ??? pic.twitter.com/8xc1CDKDg2— Kylian Mbappé (@KMbappe) November 25, 2020
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