Diego Maradona: Hand of God star, football genius and scourge of England dies aged 60
Diego Maradona, considered by some to be the greatest footballer of all time, has died, aged 60.
Maradona suffered a heart attack at his home in Buenos Aires.
The World Cup-winning former Argentina captain was best known to British audiences for the handball goal he dubbed the “Hand of God” against England in 1986.
Argentina president Alberto Fernandez has declared three days of national mourning.
He said: “You took us to the top of the world. You made us immensely happy. You were the greatest of them all.
“Thank you for having existed, Diego. We’re going to miss you all our lives.”
The Argentinian football association called his passing “the death of our legend”.
Maradona’s health problems
Maradona battled a series of health problems and earlier this month needed surgery on a blood clot on his brain.
He was then sent straight to a rehabilitation centre to be treated for alcohol dependency.
The controversial former No10 was admitted to hospital in Buenos Aires on 2 November with anaemia and dehydration.
Doctors transferred him to another facility in La Plata, where he underwent an 80-minute operation on the blood clot.
Speaking after surgery, a lawyer for Maradona said he had been through “maybe the most difficult moment of his life”.
He added: “It was a miracle they found this bleeding in his brain that could have cost him his life.”
One of the greatest ever footballers
Maradona was 14 months into a stint as manager of Gimnasia de La Plata in Argentina’s top division.
It was the latest role in stop-start coaching career that failed to scale the heights he did as a player.
He is widely considered to be among the three greatest ever footballers, along with Pele and Lionel Messi.
Maradona’s crowning achievement was leading his country to World Cup glory in 1986.
His most infamous moment came in that tournament against England, as did a sensational individual goal that underlined his genius.
Maradona would go on to score 34 times in 91 games for Argentina, who he represented at four World Cups.
His best spell in the club game came at Napoli, where his mesmerising dribbles conjured their only two Italian league titles.
Maradona also played for Barcelona, Boca Juniors, Argentinos Juniors, Sevilla and Newell’s Old Boys in a club career that gleaned more than 500 appearances and over 300 goals.
Controversy was never far away, and he battled problems with recreational and performance enhancing drugs, weight and alcohol.
Maradona developed a heavy cocaine habit that, together with questions about links to the Mafia, cast a shadow on his time in Italy.
He was expelled from the 1994 World Cup after testing positive for banned drug ephedrine and never wore the blue and white stripes again.