Diego Maradona, the Argentine who became one of soccer’s greatest players with a roguish cunning and extravagant control, died yesterday in Tigre, in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina plunging the sport and his native country into mourning.
He was aged 60. His spokesman, Sebastián Sanchi, said the cause was a heart attack.
Renowned along with Pele as one of the finest players ever to grace the field, the Argentine World Cup-winning captain had undergone brain surgery this month and died of a heart attack, a member of his entourage told AFP.
On the news of the death, Argentina’s government declared three days of national mourning.
Maradona was admitted to a clinic in La Plata, Argentina, on Nov. 2 — three days after his 60th birthday — experiencing what his doctor, Leopoldo Luque, described as depression, anemia and dehydration.
He was ranked with Pele among the best and will forever be remembered for his “Hand of God” goal against England in the 1986 World Cup quarter-final in Mexico City, when he pushed the ball into the net.
However, his ability to surprise and startle developed a darker edge, as he became addicted to cocaine and other substance abuse.
