The death of Diego Maradona dominated the front and back covers of newspapers as the world said goodbye to the ‘God of football’, with its renowned “God’s hand” featured quote.
Maradona died after suffering a heart attack at his home in a Buenos Aires suburb on Wednesday, less than a month after his 60th birthday.
“God is dead,” read a headline in the French newspaper L’Equipe next to a photo of the former Argentine striker with the team’s famous blue and white striped jersey.
The British newspaper The Times peppered “In God’s Hands” with the image of Maradona celebrating after beating West Germany in the 1986 World Cup final, a tournament he made his own by propelling Argentina to its second title.
Considered one of the greatest players of all time, Maradona finished the tournament with five goals, including arguably the two most famous goals of the 20th century in a 2-1 quarter-final victory over England.
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In Photos: Diego Maradona – Journey of a charismatic footballer
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Diego Maradona holds up the FIFA World Cup trophy after Argentina’s 3-2 victory over West Germany in the 1986 World Cup final at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City. (AP Photo)
Argentine soccer star Diego Maradona smokes a Cohiba cigar while riding a sailboat in waters off Havana on April 8, 2000. (Reuters Photo)
Former Argentina coach Diego Maradona (right) walks alongside Lionel Messi after a practice session in Pretoria on June 10, 2010. (Reuters Photo)
Soccer legend Diego Maradona swings a ball over his head during a photocall of Serbian director Emir Kusturica’s ‘Maradona by Kusturica’ at the 61st Cannes Film Festival on May 20, 2008 (Reuters Photo).
Soccer greats Pelé and Maradona, who have often vied for the title of greatest footballer in history, were jointly named best player of the 20th century by FIFA in 2000. (Reuters Photo)
Argentine soccer star Diego Maradona (left) presents the Argentine team’s pennant to Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in Jerusalem on May 30, 1994. (AFP Photo)
Former Argentina coach Diego Maradona celebrates with Lionel Messi after his 2010 World Cup second round match against Mexico at Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg on June 27, 2010. (Reuters Photo)
Soccer legend Diego Maradona gestures as he attends a congratulations program at the Salt Lake Stadium in Calcutta on December 6, 2008 (AFP Photo)
Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro meets with former Argentine star Diego Maradona in Havana on April 13, 2013. (Reuters Photo)
Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona greets Pope Francis in the Paul VI room of the Vatican on September 1, 2014 (AP Photo).
Argentina’s 1986 World Cup winner Diego Maradona, wearing a traditional Arab headdress, visits the al-Sadd club in Doha on November 18, 2005. (AFP Photo)
Soccer legend Diego Maradona, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov (right) and Alexander Khloponin (left) walk to a match between an all-star team versus a local team in Grozny, Chechnya, Russia on May 12, 2011 (AP Photo) .
Portugal and Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo praised Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona as a “peerless magician” whom he could call a “friend.” (Instagram photo)
The first was a deliberate handball that he described as the “Hand of God”, while the second, four minutes later, was the product of a solo run past half of the England team to score what would later become known. as the “Goal of the century”. “.
“There will be no equal,” said the Argentine newspaper Clarín with a photo of Maradona holding the World Cup aloft at the Azteca Stadium.
02:07Diego Maradona: a magician footballer
For many, Maradona will be remembered as more than just a player, especially in Argentina and Naples, where he led Napoli to their only two Italian league titles and the UEFA Cup, their only major European trophy.
“His gift as a transmitter of emotions, his art in the most noble and revered of games, was his way to become a household name like no other,” wrote Marcela Mora y Araujo in The Guardian.
The Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo kept things simple and said goodbye with a single word: ‘Ad10s‘, with his iconic number 10 jersey and his name highlighted in the headline.
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