Diego Maradona, often considered one of the greatest soccer players to have ever lived,
has died at age 60.
The Guardian reported that the athlete suffered a fatal heart attack after undergoing brain
surgery earlier in November 2020.
The athlete is best known globally for his role on the Argentine soccer team as team
captain during the 1986 World Cup.
In the quarterfinal match against England, Maradona scored the game-winning goal, which
came to be famously known as the "Hand of God" and as one of the greatest goals of all
time.
In his home country of Argentina, Maradona was nicknamed "Pibe de Oro," meaning "Golden
Boy," according to the Associated Press.
However, in more recent years, Maradona came to be known for his personal troubles as much
as he was known for his athletic prowess.
The athlete once referred to cocaine as his, quote, "toughest rival," and his addiction
issues led to hospitalizations and at least one heart attack in 2004, per the AP.
Maradona led a complex life, reaching some of the highest highs and lowest lows in competitive
sports.
Maradona made his debut for the Argentine National Team at just 16 during a friendly
match against Hungary in 1977.
According to the AP, Maradona was cut from Argentina's team for the World Cup the following
year because he was only 17 at the time.
The team went on to win the World Cup at home in 1978, and missing the opportunity to play
in that event was what the player once called the, quote, "greatest tragedy" of his career,
per the AP.
This motivated him to succeed later at the 1986 World Cup.
In 1982, Maradona went to play for Barcelona, which featured a $9 millon plus transfer fee
and landed Maradona with a six year $12 contract, as reported by the Washington Post.
In 1984, the team sold him to Napoli in Italy, where the AP notes that he, quote, "remade
its fortunes almost single-handedly," turning them from a losing team to a winning team
remarkably fast.
As the 1980s progressed, however, Diego Maradona began to struggle with issues of addiction.
Maradona was banned from playing for 15 months after failing a drug test in 1991, forcing
him to acknowledge his cocaine addiction, according to the Associated Press.
Maradona was then thrown out of the World Cup in 1994 after a drug test revealed that
he had been using stimulants.
Despite still being beloved in his home country, the doping scandal followed Maradona, and
he retired officially from the sport in 1997 at age 37, as per ABC News.
Diego Maradona was finally able to return to soccer in an official capacity in 2008
when he became a manager for the Argentine national team.
He took them to the World Cup in 2010, where the team reached the quarterfinals, according
to the Associated Press.
Maradona then went on to Al-Wasl, a Dubai-based club team in 2010.
Despite his post-athletics issues and return to the sport, fans and admirers worldwide
agree that Maradona will be remembered for his athleticism and his famous "Hand of God"
goal.
Argentinean sports broadcaster Victor Hugo Morales compared him to an artist, as per
the AP.
Morales said,
"He has been one of the great artists of my time.
Like great masters of music and painting, he has defied our intellect and enriched the
human spirit.”
Meanwhile, The Guardian noted that Maradona was named, along with Pelé, as Fifa's Player
of the Century in 2000, with Maradona actually receiving more votes than the renowned Brazilian
athlete.
Following Maradona's death, Pelé took to Twitter to share in the global mourning and
comment on the "sad news,” saying:
"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."