Farewell to the G.O.A.T – Diego Maradona dies at 60
Maradona captained Argentina to the 1986 Fifa World Cup title, with an unbelievable individual performance in the tournament, while he also skippered Serie A side Napoli to their first Serie A title in the 1986/7 season, winning another with them in the 1989/90 campaign.
Argentine legend Diego Maradona has passed away. Pic: Ulises Ruiz / AFP
Argentine football legend Diego Maradona has died at the age of 60, his spokesman announced Wednesday.
Renowned 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, a member of his entourage told AFP.
Maradona was most famous for his unbelievable contribution as Argentina won the 1986 Fifa World Cup in Mexico. He captained the team, and scored both goals in the quarterfinal win over England, one known as one of the best goals of all time, and the other as one of the most controversial, where he netted using the famous “Hand of God,” using his hand to put the ball past England goalkeeper Peter Shilton.
Maradona also captained Serie A side Napoli to their first Serie A title in the 1986/7 season, winning another with them in 1989.90.
He played for Argentina in a total of four World Cup finals, also reaching the final in 1990, where they lost to West Germany. In 1994 in the USA, Maradona’s contribution was clouded in controversy, as he tested positive for ephedrine and was kicked out of the competition.
Maradona battled with a cocaine addiction, that according to a BBC article in 2006, allegedly started in his time at Barcelona in 1993.
Maradona also managed Argentina at the 2010 Fifa World Cup in South Africa, where they reached the quarterfinals, winning four games in a row before losing 4-0 to Germany.
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