Argentine football legend Diego Maradona died at the age of 60, his spokesman announced on Wednesday. Clubbed along with Brazil’s Pele as one of the greatest footballers of all time, the Argentine World Cup-winning captain died of a heart attack, having undergone brain surgery earlier this month, reports said.
Maradona was hospitalised early this month after he complained of regularly being fatigued. His tests at the La Plata clinic revealed a blood clot in Maradona’s brain, which doctors later revealed was operated on successfully. As per Goal.com, Maradona was also released from the hospital, but in the early hours of Wednesday, he suffered cardiac arrest, and paramedics at the scene failed to revive him.
The reason why he is regarded as the greatest player of all time is that he had many accolades to his name but the most decorated one is that he single-handedly led his country to the FIFA World Cup title in 1986. In his international career with Argentina, he earned 91 caps and scored 34 goals. Maradona played in four FIFA World Cups, including the 1986 World Cup in Mexico where he captained Argentina and led them to victory over West Germany in the final, and won the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player.
In the 1986 World Cup quarter-final, he scored both goals in a 2-1 victory over England that entered football history for two different reasons. The first goal was an unpenalised handling foul known as the “Hand of God”, while the second goal followed a 60 m (66 yd) dribble past five England players, voted “Goal of the Century” by FIFA.com voters in 2002.
Maradona also helped his nation reach a second consecutive World Cup final four years later, only to fall to West Germany.
Maradona’s vision, passing, ball control and unmatched dribbling skills always allowed him to manoeuvre better than most other football players. He had the ability to dribble past multiple opposing players on a run. His presence and leadership on the field had a great effect on his team’s general performance, while he would often be singled out by the opposition.
In addition to his creative abilities, he also possessed an eye for goal and was known to be a free kick specialist. A precocious talent, Maradona was given the nickname “El Pibe de Oro” (“The Golden Boy”), a name that stuck with him throughout his career. WITH AGENCY INPUTS
