The World Cup winner had been in hospital prior to his tragic death, having only recently celebrated his 60th birthday
The death of Diego Maradona – widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time – occurred on November 25, 2020 in Buenos Aires, sending shockwaves through the football world.
Maradona, who had been serving as head coach for Argentine Primera Division side Gimnasia de la Plata, had been in ill-health, having been hospitalised with a blood clot on the brain at the start of November.
He was admitted to La Plata clinic on November 2 after complaining of fatigue and low spirits, with representatives for the star maintaining that the condition was not serious.
The World Cup winner underwent surgery to address the blood clot and the procedure was a success.
Diego Maradona was born on 30th October 1960 in Argentina, He was one of the two joint winners of the FIFA Player of the 20th Century award. Maradona’s vision, passing, ball control, and dribbling skills were combined with his small stature of 1.65 m tall.
Maradona net worth
Maradona’s net worth is estimated at $100 Million (£75 Million), despite enjoying a playing career which spanned two decades. The World Cup winner may have inspired Napoli to two Serie A titles and a UEFA Cup in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but he has been in a long-running dispute with the Italian government over taxes.
With a reported €37 million (£33m/$42m) left to pay the Italian authorities, Maradona’s net worth has been estimated at $100 Million.
Maradona’s Football Career
At the age of 15, Diego made his professional debut for Argentinos Juniors and became the sole provider for his impoverished family, he was purchased by the Boca Juniors in 1981 for a $4 million fee. He spent only a year at the club he supported as a child before transferring to Barcelona in 1982 after an unsuccessful World Cup campaign.
There was considerable anticipation when he arrived at Barcelona, a team that paid a record-breaking fee of $7.6 million to sign the young star. Although Maradona was adored by Spanish fans and he continued to perform well for the team, his tenure at the Barcelona was marred by a number of controversial incidents.
In 1984, a heated exchange saw Diego assault several Athletic Bilbao players, and he knocked one of them out with a knee to the head. The brawl led to a fully-fledged riot within the stadium, and Maradona was subsequently dismissed from FC Barcelona.
Napoli broke the world record transfer fee that had been set by Diego earlier, paying about $10.5 million for the Argentine.
Maradona’s wife and children
Maradona married long-time fiancée Claudia Villafañe on 7 November 1984 in Buenos Aires, and they had two daughters, Dalma Nerea (born 2 April 1987) and Gianinna Dinorah (born 16 May 1989).
Maradona and Villafañe divorced in 2004. Daughter Dalma has since asserted that the divorce was the best solution for all, as her parents remained on friendly terms. They travelled together to Naples for a series of homages in June 2005 and were seen together on other occasions, including the Argentina games during 2006 World Cup.
During the divorce proceedings, Maradona admitted he is the father of Diego Sinagra (born in Naples on 20 September 1986). The Italian courts had already ruled so in 1993, after Maradona refused to undergo DNA tests to prove or disprove his paternity. Diego Junior met Maradona for the first time in May 2003 after tricking his way onto a golf course in Italy where Maradona was playing.
Diego Sinagra is now a footballer playing in Italy.
How brutal was Maradona
Diego Maradona Obituary, Cause Of Death
Never far from the spotlight he chased with such fury, Maradona died on Wednesday from a heart attack, the Associated Press has confirmed. Maradona had been plagued by health issues in recent years, recently suffering a subdural hematoma, which required brain surgery. He was 60.
As the news of Maradona’s death circulated around the world Wednesday, Argentine President Fernandez called for three days of national mourning while UEFA, soccer’s governing body in Europe, announced there would be a minute of silence before its Champions League and Europa League games this week.
Soccer stars past and present took to social media to say goodbye.
Pele, the Brazilian legend and perhaps the greatest player of all time, wrote on Twitter that he “lost a great friend and the world lost a legend. … One day, I hope we can play ball together in the sky.”
Cristiano Ronaldo, the five-time world player of the year from Portugal who currently stars for Juventus, tweeted, “Today I say goodbye to a friend and the world says goodbye to an eternal genius.”
Interesting facts about Diego Maradona
- Maradona was captain when Argentina won the 1986 World Cup, scoring the famous ‘Hand of God’ goal against England in the quarter-finals.
2. He scored 34 goals in 91 appearances for Argentina, representing them in four World Cups.
3. Maradona led his country to 1990 final in Italy, where they were beaten by West Germany, before captaining them again in the United States in 1994, but was sent home after failing a drugs test for ephedrine.
4. During the second half of his career, Maradona struggled with cocaine addiction and was banned for 15 months after testing positive for the drug in 1991.
5. He retired from professional football in 1997, on his 37th birthday, during his second stint at Argentine giants Boca Juniors.
. Diego Maradona died on Wednesday, November 25, 2020, aged 60.