Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
He’s in the hands of God
Argentina’s Diego Maradona, a hero, a rogue and a genius.. dead at 60
FOOTBALL legend Diego Maradona has died aged 60 after a heart attack.
He was one of the game’s best ever players and won the World Cup with Argentina in 1986.
But he was also remembered for his Hand of God goal against England in the quarter-final.
Gar y Lineker said: “After a troubled life, hopefully he’ll find comfort in the hands of God.”
FOOTBALL’S superstars including Pele and Lionel Messi have said an emotional goodbye to Diego Maradona.
The World Cup winner, who has died aged 60, is regarded by some as the game’s greatest ever player.
Former Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo, 35, said: “Today I bid farewell to a friend and the world [says] farewell to an eternal genius.”
He also called the Argentinian an “unmatched magician”.
Brazilian great Pele, 80, said: “I lost a great friend and the world lost a legend... One day I hope we can play ball together in the sky.”
Argentina star Messi, 33, said: “A very sad day... He leaves us but does not leave, because Diego is eternal.”
Maradona yesterday suffered a heart attack at home a fortnight after undergoing surgery for a blood clot on his brain.
Paramedics rushed to the property in Argentina’s capital Buenos Aires at around noon and tried to restart his heart, but he was declared dead at the scene.
Maradona lifted the World
Cup in Mexico in 1986 and achieved god-like status in his homeland.
But the adulation was not universal at that time. His deliberate handball, which he called the hand of God, to score against England in the quarterfinal was highly controversial.
Four minutes later he scored one of the finest goals ever seen.
Former England striker Gary Lineker, who played in that match, said Maradona is “by some distance the best player of my generation and arguably the greatest of all time”.
Lineker, 59, added: “After a blessed but troubled life, hopefully he’ll finally find some comfort in the hands of God.”
Another ex-england star Paul Gascoigne, 53, said: “It’s such sad news for everyone in sport. I got to know him personally.
“What a talent. I played against him for Lazio v Sevilla. I scored. I said, ‘Diego – beat that’, and he
One day I hope that we can play ball together in the sky FOOTBALL LEGEND PELE ON HIS FRIEND
winked and scored a free kick – incredible goal.”
Amid chaotic scenes, Maradona’s body was last night taken from the rented home where he died to a morgue for a postmortem.
Maradona rose to fame after being born in a shanty town on the outskirts of Buenos Aires.
Argentina’s president Alberto Fernandez has announced three days of national mourning.
He said: “You took us to the top of th e world . You made us immensely happy. You were the greatest of f all ll .” ” Former Spurs midfielder Ossie Ardiles, 68, who played alongside Maradona, called him a “dear friend” and “the best footballer in history”.
Ex-argentina manager Cesar Luis Menotti, 82, said: “I’m devastated. It’s terrible and a tragic surprise because measures had been taken to make sure he was being looked after.” Maradona had suffered years of upheaval and health problems. He was being treated for alcohol dependency and had battled drug addiction.
In 1999 and 2000 he was taken to hospital suffering heart problems, the second time requiring a respirator to breathe.
He was in hospital again in 2004 due to severe heart and respiratory problems linked to drug abuse. He
underwent two gastric bypass ops to control his weight.
In January, he had surgery to stem bleeding in his stomach.
His last known photo was on November 11 shaking hands with his doctor Leopoldo Luque after the blood clot surgery.
Maradona had five children by four women. There were claims he fathered at least three more. The diminutive midfielder started his career in Argentina before moving to Barcelona in 1982.
In 1984 he moved to Italian side Napoli for a then-world record transfer fee of £6.9million. He helped the side win their first ever Serie A title in 1987 and again in 1990.
But off the field he was using cocaine heavily and was linked to the Neapolitan mafia. At his last World Cup in 1994 he was sent home in disgrace after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug.
Napoli spokesman Nicola Lombardo said: “We are in mourning. We feel like a boxer who has been knocked out.”
Asif Kapadia, who directed a documentary about Maradona released last year, said: “We did our best to show the world the man, the myth, the fighter he was. The greatest.”
Ex-liverpool star Graeme Souness, 67, said: “You were in the presence of greatness when you played against him.
“He was tiny but he was fearless. He was an absolute warrior and ridiculously brave.”
Pope Francis, an Argentinian who met Maradona several times at the Vatican, was said by a spokesman to be “remembering him in his prayers”.
Beside photos of Maradona playing against England, the FA said: “Unforgettable. Farewell, Diego. A legend of our game.”