Tributes from the world of football have flooded in for Diego Maradona after he died at the age of 60. The football legend had a heart attack at his home just two weeks after leaving hospital, having undergone surgery on a blot clot in his brain.
Maradona, regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, helped Argentina win the World Cup in 1986, the pinnacle of an illustrious career that saw him widely adored for spells at Boca Juniors, Barcelona and Napoli at club level.
Lionel Messi, who is widely regarded as Maradona’s heir in Argentina and one of his rivals when it comes to the Greatest Of All Time debate, paid an emotional tribute to his idol on Instagram.
Having played under Maradona at international level between 2008 and 2010, the Barcelona superstar posted two pictures of himself with legendary former player alongside the message: ‘A very sad day for all Argentines and for football. He leaves us but does not leave, because Diego is eternal.
‘I keep all the beautiful moments lived with him and I wanted to take the opportunity to send my condolences to all his family and friends. RIP.’
Maradona’s former clubs and the Argentina national team’s Twitter account were among the first to pay tribute to him.
Barcelona, where he enjoyed two seasons between 1982 and 1984, tweeted: ‘Thank you for everything, Diego’.
The AFA, tweeted: ‘The Argentine Football Association, through its president Claudio Tapia, expresses its deepest sorrow for the death of our legend, Diego Armando Maradona. You will always be in our hearts.’
