Legendary Argentine soccer player Diego Maradona is dead from a heart attack. He was 60 years old.

On Wednesday, the the Argentine Football Association announced through Twitter that it “expresses its deepest sorrow for the death of our legend, Diego Armando Maradona. You will always be in our hearts.”

Diego Maradona is considered by many to be the greatest soccer player of all time.

When he was just 18 years old, Maradona led Argentina to a youth World Cup Victory in 1986 and played in four more World Cups after that.

Football was the first sport I ever loved,
Diego Maradona was my first ever idol.
An absolute genius with a football.
Mexico ‘86 & this goal will always be one of my stand out memories of watching sport.
RIP to a true God of football. 🙏🏽#maradona #football pic.twitter.com/tFVy7TOrCm

— Dave Coldwell (@davidcoldwell) November 25, 2020

It was at the ’86 World Cup that he was catapulted into global stardom for scoring a goal that would be known afterwards as the “Hand of God”. Maradona led his team to victory over England by jumping over a goalkeeper and punching the ball into the net. Afterward, he described what drove the goal: “It was a little bit with the head and a bit with the hand of God.”

After, Maradona moved to Naples, which would become his adopted home town. He solidified his superstar status by helping the struggling Naples Club clinch its first Italian league title in 1987. A second followed in 1990.

But El Pibe de Oro was as famous for his excesses as he was for his talent. He publicly struggled with drug addiction and personal crises throughout his career and after it. Post-retirement, his health suffered.

Earlier this month, Maradona had underwent an operation to remove a blood clot from his brain. Shortly after, he was admitted to a rehab center to treat his alcohol addiction. On October 25th, he died of a heart attack in his home in Tigre, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

In the wake of Maradona’s death, there has been an outpouring of grief from fans, peers, and rivals alike.

Cristiano Ronaldo took to Twitter to express his feelings about the death of a global superstar.

Hoje despeço-me de um amigo e o Mundo despede-se de um génio eterno. Um dos melhores de todos os tempos. Um mágico inigualável. Parte demasiado cedo, mas deixa um legado sem limites e um vazio que jamais será preenchido. Descansa em paz, craque. Nunca serás esquecido.🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/WTS21uxmdL

— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) November 25, 2020

“Today I say goodbye to a friend and the world says goodbye to an eternal genius,” wrote Ronaldo. “One of the best ever. An unparalleled magician. He leaves too soon, but leaves a limitless legacy and a void that will never be filled. Rest in peace, crack. You will never be forgotten.”

Famous Brazilian forward Pelé also wrote a touching tribute to him on Twitter.

Que notícia triste. Eu perdi um grande amigo e o mundo perdeu uma lenda. Ainda há muito a ser dito, mas por agora, que Deus dê força para os familiares. Um dia, eu espero que possamos jogar bola juntos no céu. pic.twitter.com/6Li76HTikA

— Pelé (@Pele) November 25, 2020

“What sad news,” wrote Pelé. “I lost a great friend and the world lost a legend. There is still much to be said, but for now, may God give strength to his family. One day, I hope we can play ball together in heaven.”

Fellow Argentine superstar Leo Messi posted a touching tribute to Maradona on Instagram.

Messi opens up about his fellow countryman, Diego Maradona 🙏 pic.twitter.com/IJcdPPLB9C

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 25, 2020

The two players have always drawn parallels because of their country of origin.

Maradona’s adopted stadium of San Paolo in Naples lit up in memoriam of their greatest player.

The San Paolo lit up in honour of Diego Armando Maradona tonight 💙 pic.twitter.com/GGrtdj6V3h

— SSC Nap⚽️li News (@SSCNapoliNews_) November 25, 2020

The entire sports world grieves at the passing of such a legend. Rest in peace, Diego.

Notice any needed corrections? Please email us at corrections@wearemitu.com

Thousands of people have been protesting in the streets of major U.S. cities for days demanding justice after George Floyd was killed. People are demanding a change to police reform and the Black Lives Matter movement is at the center of that fight.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees is not a fan of kneeling in protest.

Highlight: @readdanwrite asks @drewbrees what the star NFL quarterback thinks about "players kneeling again when the NFL season starts."@drewbrees: “I will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country.”

Full exchange: pic.twitter.com/MpCkFyOMed

— Yahoo Finance (@YahooFinance) June 3, 2020

In an interview with Yahoo! Business, Brees spoke on the peaceful kneeling protests. While thousands of people continue to march and protest to demand justice, Brees gave a sound bite that has not done him any favors.

“I will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country,” Brees said in the interview. “And is everything right with our country right now? No. It’s not. We still have a long way to go. But I think what you do by standing there and showing respect to the flag with your hand over your heart, is it shows unity. It shows that we are all in this together. We can all do better. And that we are all part of the solution.”

Brees seems to have missed why protesters were kneeling during the national anthem.

Drew Brees’ granddaddies came back home, perhaps to a local parade. My uncles and dad came back home to people saying, “Get on the back of the bus.” And they all sacrificed to serve this nation! Brees still doesn’t get that. pic.twitter.com/4iSqH5otrA

— Michael Wilbon (@RealMikeWilbon) June 4, 2020

ESPN commentator Michael Wilbon took issue with Brees’s statement for calling into question someone’s patriotism if they kneel during the national anthem.

“I believe the apology. I believe it was as sincere as and as heartfelt as he could possibly be and it reflects that,” Wilbon said in an interview. “That’s not my point today and I’m angry today, Tony. Even Drew Brees in his apology, he doesn’t address what it was that ticked off so many people, including me, which is essentially the questioning of anybody, and let’s say that anybody in this case if black people, who want to take a knee and have a protest during the national anthem when the flag is raised at sporting events.”

Brees apologized on Instagram after receiving backlash for his comments.

View this post on Instagram

I would like to apologize to my friends, teammates, the City of New Orleans, the black community, NFL community and anyone I hurt with my comments yesterday. In speaking with some of you, it breaks my heart to know the pain I have caused. In an attempt to talk about respect, unity, and solidarity centered around the American flag and the national anthem, I made comments that were insensitive and completely missed the mark on the issues we are facing right now as a country. They lacked awareness and any type of compassion or empathy. Instead, those words have become divisive and hurtful and have misled people into believing that somehow I am an enemy. This could not be further from the truth, and is not an accurate reflection of my heart or my character. This is where I stand: I stand with the black community in the fight against systemic racial injustice and police brutality and support the creation of real policy change that will make a difference. I condemn the years of oppression that have taken place throughout our black communities and still exists today. I acknowledge that we as Americans, including myself, have not done enough to fight for that equality or to truly understand the struggles and plight of the black community. I recognize that I am part of the solution and can be a leader for the black community in this movement. I will never know what it’s like to be a black man or raise black children in America but I will work every day to put myself in those shoes and fight for what is right. I have ALWAYS been an ally, never an enemy. I am sick about the way my comments were perceived yesterday, but I take full responsibility and accountability. I recognize that I should do less talking and more listening…and when the black community is talking about their pain, we all need to listen. For that, I am very sorry and I ask your forgiveness.

A post shared by Drew Brees (@drewbrees) on Jun 4, 2020 at 5:22am PDT

His apology has been received with mixed reviews. Some people have come to Brees’s support claiming his message has been misunderstood. Others, like Wilbon see the apology as a half-apology coming from a need to preserve a public image, not a genuine reflection on his actions.

One of the people to have forgiven Brees is teammate Michael Thomas.

One of my brothers made a public statement yesterday that I disagreed with. He apologized & I accept it because that’s what we are taught to do as Christians. Now back to the movement! #GeorgeFloyd

— Michael Thomas (@Cantguardmike) June 4, 2020

Michael Thomas is a wide receiver for the New Orleans Saints and he was one of the first to come to Brees’s defense after he issued his apology. Several other teammates came to his defense and all of them expressed both a disappointment at Brees’s insensitive comments and a willingness to forgive him after see his apology and feeling it genuine.

What do you think about Brees’s comments?

READ: White Teens Are Mocking The George Floyd Killing On Social Media And This Is Why We Need #BlackLivesMatter

Notice any needed corrections? Please email us at corrections@wearemitu.com