Three days of national mourning in Argentina after the death of icon Diego Maradona

Diego Armando Maradona (60) died of cardiac arrest in the house where he had settled after a head operation, according to the main Argentine newspaper El Clarín.

– It’s sad. The best Maradona did not age. It is always sad when someone passes away. A fantastic soccer player. I was lucky to play against him, Åge Hareide tells Dagbladet about Diego Maradona’s passing.

Hareide was on the Norwegian national team that beat Maradona and Argentina in a training match in 1986.

– It was a training match in April 1986. I remember it was an uneven Ullevaal stadium. He (Maradona) shook his head for that. He was the big star. He probably did a saving spree in that particular match, Hareide says, saying he thinks Maradona’s focus was on the World Cup later that year.

– my great hero

Erik Solér also played this international match when he met his great role model, Maradona.

– Maradona was my great hero. We are born at approximately the same time. He was the greatest for me at least. It was a proud moment when I played against him in 1986. Of course it was fun that we won, but the most important thing was playing against the best player in the world, Solér tells Dagbladet.

Brazilian soccer legend Pelé, who for many years has been Maradona’s greatest rival in the battle to be the greatest soccer player of all time, is among the many who mourn the passing of Diego Maradona.

“One day we will definitely kick the ball together in the sky,” Pele said according to Reuters.

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President Alberto Fernández has issued a decree on three days of national mourning.

– You took us to the top of the world. You made us enormously happy. You were the greatest of all. Thanks for being there, Diego. We will miss you for the rest of our lives, writes the president of Argentina on Twitter.

The death has been confirmed by relatives, writes the Spanish newspaper El Paí.

– It is very sad that people die so young. I have seen him several times, and I am so old that I also remember him as a player. It is said that many footballers have the maximum experience in one area, but Maradona had it in several areas. He was a near-perfect soccer player, says Egil “Drillo” Olsen.

As reported by Televion Pública Noticias de Argentina, Maradona had been living in a house in El Tigre in the province of Buenos Aires since November 11, when he arrived after a week at the Clínica de Olivos hospital where he was operated on for a blood clot in head.

According to the EFE news agency, Maradona’s friend and agent, Matías Morla, has confirmed the death.

Diego Maradona is considered by many to be the best footballer of all time. In 1986, he was the only one to lead Argentina to World Cup gold. He carried almost all of Argentina on his back, until he reached the gold of the World Cup.

In the quarterfinals against England in Mexico City, he scored two of the most iconic goals in soccer history: the first when he put the ball into goal, which he later called “the hand of God.” The second after a dribble that has never been exceeded, when he ran with the ball in his legs for 65 meters and dribbled five Englishmen, before surrounding Peter Shilton and putting the ball in the empty cage.

In club football he swept Barcelona and especially Napoli, which he took to new heights.

The Argentine soccer legend was hospitalized in early November. Maradona’s doctor, Leopoldo Luque, affirmed then that the situation was not serious.

Mardona has struggled with health issues for many years, partly due to her history of obesity issues, mental health issues, alcohol and cocaine abuse, but fans never forgot.

As a footballer, the Argentine achieved miraculous feats. Happy to dribble, Maradona made his national team debut at age 16 in February 1977.

At 21, Maradona was ready for Barcelona. He then became the most expensive soccer player in the world at that time.

However, the legendary status grew even greater in his seven years at Napoli, where he took the club to new heights and, among other things, two league golds.

Now the whole world of football is mourning the end of Maradona’s life of ups and downs.

One of the best and most popular soccer players of all time.