Argentine Diego Maradona, one of the most prominent stars in the history of world soccer, has died at the age of 60.
According to Argentine media reports, the once-powerful midfielder died of heart and lung problems.
The soccer legend reportedly underwent an operation earlier this month that successfully removed a blood clot from his brain, the BBC reported.
Maradona had been battling alcohol and drug addiction for years.
Coming from a poor background, Maradona led Argentina to the World Cup in Mexico in 1986. During that tournament, he scored one of the most spectacular goals in the history of soccer, breaking through the England defense and scoring a goal. In the same tournament, he also scored a controversial goal with what appeared to be a handball move that went undetected by the referee, a goal he described as “the hand of God”.
In 1990, he led his team to the World Cup final, where they lost to West Germany. He was to be captain of Argentina’s 1994 World Cup team, but failed a drug test.
Maradona played 91 games for Argentina, scoring 34 times. He played in four World Cup tournaments.
At the peak of his professional club career, he played for European powerhouses Barcelona and Napoli, helping the Italian side win two Primera Division titles.
After a short spell with Boca Juniors in Argentina, Maradona ended his professional career in 1997.
In 2008, Maradona was appointed head coach of the Argentine national team, but resigned after Argentina was eliminated by Germany in the quarterfinals of the 2010 World Cup.
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