PM Modi pays tribute to the 'Maestro of Football' Diego Maradona; hails legend's career

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the late Diego Maradona as the 'maestro of football' who was immensely popular worldwide as he condoled the demise of the Argentine legend. Maradona, 60, breathed his last at his home in Buenos Aires on Wednesday, November 25. Paying tribute to El Diego, PM Modi highlighted that Maradona had given some of the best sporting moments on the football field throughout his career and that the whole world was saddened by his untimely demise. 

The Prime Minister has spoken about football before, hailing Argentine football during his visit to the G-20 summit in Buenos Aires where he was also gifted a football jersey.

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PM Modi pays tribute to Deigo Maradona

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Footballing world pays tribute

Tributes flew in from all across the globe after the news of Diego Maradona's cardiac arrest became public knowledge. The Argentine national team paid tribute to their icon by biding him goodbye, suggesting that the former Napoli star will always be eternal in the hearts of football fans. Brazilian football legend Pele, who for decades was locked in rivalry with Maradona for the title of 'greatest footballer ever' though they were essentially of different generations and never competed on the field, also expressed his profound grief on social media. The three-time World Cup winner wished that God gives strength to the Maradona family in their hour of grief and hoped that one day he could play football together whether with the Argentine in the sky.

Diego Maradona's career

Regarded as one of the greatest players of all-time, the left-footed Maradona began his career with Argentinos Juniors, before sealing a then-record $4 million transfer to Argentina's Boca Juniors. In his only season with Boca, Maradona lifted the Argentine domestic league scoring 28 goals in 40 appearances for the club. After an ill-fated 1982 World Cup in which he was heavily billed, Diego joined Barcelona for a then world-record fee of £5 million ($7.6 million). The Argentine legend's career in Barcelona was marred by injuries and controversies before a brawl against Atheltic Bilbao players ended his Camp Nou stint. The Argentine played 58 games for the Blaugrana, scoring 38 goals, including a special strike at Santiago Bernabeu, which saw him receive a standing ovation. 

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Despite the controversies, Italian club Napoli took a chance with Maradona and signed him for another world record fee, £6.9 million ($10.48million). The Argentine legend hit his peak in Naples, helping the side win two league titles, scoring 115 goals for the club. While Diego excelled on the pitch, his off-field problems continued to rise, as his cocaine addiction increased significantly, leading him to miss training and games for Napoli. The Argentine faced a 15-month ban for failing a drug test for cocaine and left Napoli in disgrace in 1992. He later enjoyed stints at Sevilla, Newell's Old Boys and returned to Boca Juniors before calling time on his career. However, during the peak of his powers, he had almost single-handedly by sheer force of will and god-given skill managed to steer his national team to two World Cup Finals, winning in 1986 in Mexico and coming up short in Italia 90, both times against the Germans.  

Watch: Maradona's 'Hand of God' Goal against England in 1986 FIFA World Cup Quarter-Final