Argentina Soccer Legend Diego Maradona Dead at 60 after Heart Attack
Diego Maradona died on Wednesday following a heart attack, his longtime agent Matias Morla announced.
Maradona needed brain surgery for a subdural hematoma to start November. Now, he’s gone before the end of the month.
He burst on the international scene at age 25 when he captained Argentina to a World Cup championship in 1986.
Diego Maradona’s performance in the 1986 World Cup was something special.
He led Argentina to its 2nd World Cup title, winning the Golden Ball with 5 goals & 5 assists.
He remains 1 of 3 Argentines to win the award (Mario Kempes 1978, Lionel Messi 2014). pic.twitter.com/hNxtc3DFxt
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 25, 2020
Maradona was named one of two joint winners of the FIFA Player of the 20th Century Award with Pelé. The Brazilian star shared his thoughts on the loss of Maradona on Twitter.
Que notícia triste. Eu perdi um grande amigo e o mundo perdeu uma lenda. Ainda há muito a ser dito, mas por agora, que Deus dê força para os familiares. Um dia, eu espero que possamos jogar bola juntos no céu. pic.twitter.com/6Li76HTikA
— Pelé (@Pele) November 25, 2020
“What sad news. I lost a great friend and the world lost a legend. There is still much to be said, but for now, may God give strength to family members. One day, I hope we can play ball together in the sky.” (Translated on Twitter from Google).
In 91 international appearances with Argentina’s national team, Maradona scored 34 goals. He was with Italian professional club Napoli for the most appearances (188) where he scored 115 goals.
The world awaits our words but there are no words to describe the pain we’re going through. Now is the time to grieve.
Diego 💙 pic.twitter.com/40TTOIDNQ4— Official SSC Napoli (@en_sscnapoli) November 25, 2020
Maradona struggled with drug issues, specifically an addiction to cocaine from the 1980’s to 2004.
Since retiring from playing in 1997, he had health issues. In 2004, he was hospitalized with severe heart and respiratory problems related to his battle with drug addiction.
He fell ill at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, and then in Jan. 2019, he went to the hospital for internal bleeding in his stomach.
He also had undergone two gastric bypass operations to control his weight and received treatment for alcohol abuse.
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