Maradona was the inspiration and captain for Argentina’s World Cup success in Mexico in 1986, winning the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player.
He scored twice against England in a memorable 2-1 quarter-final win, his first goal being dubbed ‘the hand of God’ and the second winning the ‘Goal of the Century’ award on the FIFA website in 2002.
Maradona’s spokesman, Sebastian Sanchi, said he died on Wednesday of a heart attack, two weeks after being released from a hospital in Buenos Aires following brain surgery.
The Argentine FA confirmed the news in a statement on Twitter which read: “The Argentine Football Association, through its President Claudio Tapia, expresses its deepest sorrow for the death of our legend, Diego Armando Maradona.
“You will always be in our hearts.”
