[ad_1]
Less than a month after turning 60 and a few days after leaving the hospital after removing a blood clot in his brain, Maradona died this Wednesday of a heart attack at his home in Tigre, north of the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires . His lawyer and the Argentine Football Association (AFA) confirmed relevant press reports.
The death of the Argentine, who was named footballer of the century alongside Pelé by the FIFA world association in 2000, who had made headlines off the pitch with his excesses of drugs and alcohol, sparked expressions of global condolences. Pelé, 80, was one of the first to offer his condolences to the family. “May God give his family enough strength,” said the Brazilian, “I’m sure one day we’ll play soccer together in heaven.”
Diego Maradona is dead
The world of sports is mourning Diego Armando Maradona. The Argentine soccer legend died this Wednesday of a heart attack about a month after turning 60 at his home in Tigre, north of Buenos Aires, as announced by his lawyer and the Argentine Football Association (AFA).
National duel in Argentina
The president of Argentina, Alberto Fernández, praised Maradona, who represented the “Albiceleste” in a total of four world championships and led them to the title in 1986 and again to the final four years later, as “the greatest of all. You brought us to the top of the world and made us very happy. Thanks for being with us, Diego. We will miss you for a lifetime ”. In memory of the country’s famous son, Fernández ordered a three-day state duel.
As announced by a spokesperson for the Argentine presidency, the body will be deposited from Thursday to Saturday at the Casa Rosada presidential palace in Buenos Aires. The public should have a chance to say goodbye to the superstar. In the capital, the fans flocked to the obelisk in the center of the capital, to Villa Fiorito, Maradona’s birthplace, and to the “Bombonera”, the Boca Juniors stadium, after the news of the death.
Lionel Messi, Maradona’s successor as an Argentine soccer idol, spoke of a “very sad day for all Argentines and for soccer. He leaves us, but he does not leave because Diego is eternal ”. The FC Barcelona superstar played with team coach Maradona at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, but could not prevent Argentina from winning 4-0 in the quarterfinals. Germany suffered one of the bitterest defeats in a World Cup.
Naples “in shock”
SSC Napoli also reacted with great consternation, which reached unimaginable heights with Maradona between 1984 and 1991. “We are sad. We feel like a knocked out boxer. We are in a state of shock. Always in our hearts. Ciao Diego,” wrote those responsible about the legend, who was revered as a saint by fans throughout his life. Maradona had led Napoli to the top two and so far only wins Italian championship titles and won the UEFA Cup with the team. “Naples loves you “Said Mayor Luigi de Magistris. He proposed a new name for the city’s stadium through Twitter.” Let’s dedicate the San Paolo Stadium to Diego Armando Maradona, “he wrote.
The importance of Maradona for Neapolitan football was highlighted by Austrian footballer Herbert Prohaska, who played in Italy a few years before Maradona. “He made a superior team with a team like Naples,” Prohaska said Wednesday in an interview with ORF, “in my time Naples played relegation, with Maradona Naples won two championships. And he made Argentina a world champion, an incredible player. You admired him as an opponent. He was a player who could do everything, a genius. “
From “magician” to “genius”
The unique handling of the ball by the exceptional 1.65m tall player also highlighted many of his famous successors in their awards. Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo described Maradona as “an eternal genius, one of the best of our time, a magician without equal.” For the multiple Brazilian soccer player Marta, the world has lost a “god of the ball, who has inspired us all.”
Gary Lineker, who witnessed firsthand at the 1986 World Cup how Maradona eliminated England from the tournament in the quarterfinals, first with his solo pick for goal of the century in 2010 and then with the “Hand of God”, praised to the deceased as “by far the best player of my generation and probably the greatest of all time.” The tournament’s top scorer in Mexico also recalled Maradona’s “troubled life” and, based on the famous goal of that time, he wished the deceased that “I hope he finds comfort in the hands of God.”
[ad_2]
