LINEKER AND RODGERS’ TRIBUTES TO MARADONA
GARY Lineker yesterday led the tributes to arguably football’s greatest player, Diego Maradona, following his death at the age of 60.
Maradona, the midfield linchpin of the Argentina side that won the 1986 World Cup and former national team manager, had surgery to remove a blood clot on the brain in a Buenos Aires hospital earlier this month.
His personal physician Dr Leopoldo Luque said the early signs were “favourable”, but Maradona reportedly suffered a fatal heart attack at his home yesterday.
Maradona’s successes made him a global star and a national hero in Argentina but his career was also blighted by controversies on and off the field.
His “Hand of God” goal against England in the 1986 quarter-finals, when he pushed the ball into the net with his hand, earned him infamy – although he followed up by scoring the “goal of the century”, a remarkable solo effort, a few minutes later.
His international playing career ended in shame when he failed a drugs test at the 1994 World Cup in the United States and he was notorious for a wayward lifestyle.
He was also banned from football in 1991 after testing positive for cocaine while playing for Napoli.
However, he remained a revered figure at the Italian club, where he won two Serie A titles. He also played for Barcelona, Sevilla, Boca Juniors and Newell’s Old Boys and was most recently manager of Gimnasia y Esgrima in La Plata, Argentina.
Former Leicester City striker Lineker was in the England team beaten 2-1 by Argentina in the quarter-finals of the 1986 World
Cup in 1986. Lineker, pictured left with Maradona in 2014, said on Twitter: “By some distance the best player of my generation and arguably the greatest of all time.
“After a blessed but troubled life, hopefully he’ll finally find some comfort in the hands of God. #RipDiego.”
Former England midfielder Peter Reid, who was also in the England side beaten in 1986, said: “As bad as the first goal was, with cheating, the second one is a man who was at the height of his abilities and talent, and quite simply, he was one of the best players ever to walk the planet.”
Brazil’s three-time World Cup winner Pele, 80, also paid tribute to Maradona, saying: “One day, I hope we can play football together in the sky.”
City boss Brendan Rodgers paid his own tribute, saying: “It’s a great shock. You reflect on him and his career, and he was an idol of mine. What an immense talent he was.
“Sixty years nowadays feel so young. For everyone around the world, the outpouring of emotion will be huge.”
Those thoughts were echoed by midfielder James Maddison, who said: “It’s a very sad day for the world of football.
“I’m a football lover, and he was such an influential to watch back on clips.
“He’s the type of player I love watching. Rest in peace.”