The legendary Argentinian footballer Diego Maradona has died at the age of 60, the country’s football association has said.
Maradona, who captained Argentina’s 1986 World Cup-winning team, is widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time – if not the greatest.
There will be three days of national mourning, Argentinian president Alberto Fernandez has said.
The star, who underwent surgery for a subdural haematoma a few weeks ago, died of a heart attack, his lawyer said.
It happened at his home on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, according to Argentinian media.
A subdural haematoma is a serious condition where a blood clot develops between the skull and the surface of the brain. It is usually caused by a head injury.
He was recently admitted to hospital because he was “not well psychologically”.
He had been “very sad for a week” and “didn’t want to eat”, according to one of his representatives.
Former England striker Gary Lineker said Maradona was “by some distance the best player of my generation and arguably the greatest of all time“.He added: “After a blessed but troubled life, hopefully he’ll finally find some comfort in the hands of God.”
Brazil’s Pele said: “Certainly one day we’ll kick a ball together in the sky above.”
One of Maradona’s former teams, Napoli, said his death was a “devastating blow” for both the city and the club.
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