Soccer great Diego Maradona dead at 60

BUENOS AIRES — Soccer great Diego Maradona has died of a heart attack a couple weeks after being released from a Buenos Aires hospital after undergoing brain surgery. He was 60.

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“You will always be in our hearts,” the Argentine Football Association said on social media.

Maradona, captain of the 1986 World Cup champion Argentine national team, had an emergency operation for a subdural hematoma, an accumulation of blood between a membrane of the brain, earlier in the month. He was also treated for alcohol dependency.

Maradona represented Argentina in four World Cups, scoring 34 goals in 91 appearances, the BBC reported. He also played for the Boca Juniors, Barcelona and Napoli. He won two titles with the Italian club.

He has had problems with alcohol dependency and substance abuse in the past. He was banned for 15 months after testing positive for cocaine in 1991, the BBC reported. He also was sent home during the 1994 World Cup after testing positive for ephedrine. He retired in 1997.

He coached the Argentina national team in 2008 and left after the 2010 World Cup. He later coached teams in the United Arab Emirates and Mexico.

He felt ill Oct. 30 while coaching Gimnasia y Esgrima and left before the end of the first half. He was initially admitted to a clinic in La Plata with signs of depression, anemia and dehydration. He was later moved to Olivos clinic when the subdural hematoma was discovered.

When he was released Nov. 11, doctors said even small amounts of alcohol in combination with the medications he was taking for his recovery could have negative effects.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.


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