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Diego Maradona has passed away at the age of 60.
The best footballer of his generation suffered cardiac arrest in a house in Tigre, Argentina.
Maradona was recovering from the removal of a blood clot in the brain.
Born in the Villa Fiorito area on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Maradona made his professional soccer debut while still 15 years old with Argentinos Juniors in 1976.
A prodigious talent from the start, he scored 115 goals in 167 appearances with Juniors before moving to Boca Juniors in 1981.
He would spend little more than a year at the Bombanera, but he was one of those that cemented his status as one of the greatest talents the world had ever seen.
Despite a disappointing performance in his first World Cup in 1982, which ended with his sending off against Brazil, he made a record move to Barcelona.
But despite a brilliant start, Maradona was unable to establish himself properly in Spain. A combination of illness, a broken ankle courtesy of Andoni Goikoetxea and problems off the field led him to flee to Napoli in the summer of 1984.
Seen as a surprising move at the time, it would prove a masterstroke.
Maradona settled in Naples as a native and helped elevate an ordinary Serie A team to championship status in the 1986-87 season.
That, of course, followed his display at the World Cup in Mexico.
Maradona captained Argentina to their second world title, scoring incredible and infamous goals on the road against England and Belgium.
He was the star of the show and the ultimate creator in the final, when they beat West Germany 3-2 under the scorching Azteca sun.
While securing his place as the best footballer in the world at Napoli, Maradona was also sowing the seeds of his own downfall.
Cocaine was his drug of choice and he became involved with the Neapolitan underworld.
He would help the Biancocelesti win the UEFA Cup in 1989 and another Serie A title in 1990, but unknowingly, the peak of his career had been crowned.
Maradona again led Argentina to a World Cup final in 1990, but neither the team nor its star player were the same as four years earlier.
Arrogance and petulance permeated him, and he came to a head with Maradona cursing home fans before the semi-final against Italy in Naples.
They would lose a moody final 1-0 to West Germany and a penalty from Andy Brehme.
Maradona received a 15-month ban from playing soccer after testing positive for cocaine in 1991. Another ban followed in 94 after he tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs at the 1994 World Cup.
These marked a choppy career, which seemed to have more starts than stops. Despite brief flashes of brilliance in Seville, Newells Old Boys and a second stage in Boca.
The inevitable step to the direction took place first with Textil Mandiyú, soon in Racing Club, but with little success.
However, Maradona had the opportunity to lead his country in a fourth World Cup, the 2010 edition in South Africa. He was named ahead of players like Diego Simeone and his 1986 teammate Sergio Batista.
A 4-0 quarter-final loss to Germany turned out to be their last appearance, and talks about contract extensions quickly faded.
What would turn out to be his final decade was spent managing in the Middle East, battling health and financial problems, and eventually a coaching job in Gymnastics.
Maradona was diagnosed with a blood clot in the brain on November 3, 2020. Shortly thereafter, the procedure would be considered a success.
However, a crowded 60-year life came to a sudden end on November 25, 2020.
Tribute to soccer legend Diego Maradona, who died at age 60
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