The legendary Argentinian footballer Diego Maradona has died at the age of 60, the country’s football association has said.
Maradona, who captained Argentina’s 1986 World Cup-winning team, is widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time – if not the greatest.
There will be three days of national mourning in Argentina, President Alberto Fernandez has said, adding that Maradona “made us immensely happy”.
A minute’s silence will be held in Maradona’s memory at all the Champions League matches on Wednesday evening.
As well as the triumph in 1986, Maradona also led Argentina to the final of the Italia 90 World Cup and managed them in South Africa in 2010.
His international career ended after he failed a drugs test at the 1994 World Cup in the United States.
He was also been banned from football in 1991 after testing positive for cocaine while playing for Napoli, where he won two Serie A titles.
His ‘Hand of God’ goal against England in the 1986 quarter-finals – when he pushed the ball into the net with his hand – was followed by a remarkable solo effort described as the goal of the century.
The star, who underwent surgery for a subdural haematoma a few weeks ago, died of a heart attack, his lawyer said.
It happened at his home on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, according to Argentinian media.
A subdural haematoma is a serious condition where a blood clot develops between the skull and the surface of the brain. It is usually caused by a head injury.
The player’s doctor, Leopoldo Luque, said he had shown signs of improvement since the operation.
Maradona was also recently admitted to hospital because he was “not well psychologically”.
He had been “very sad for a week” and “didn’t want to eat”, according to one of his representatives.
