Advertisement
Diego Maradona is laid to rest...

Sport

Diego Maradona is laid to rest in Argentina as legend is mourned worldwide


Share this article


After lying in state at the Presidential Palace in Buenos Aires, football legend Diego Maradona has been laid to rest following a private ceremony.

Tens of thousands of mourners paid their respects in the Argentine capital, before Maradona, who died on Wednesday at the age of 60, was brought to his final resting place at the Bella Vista cemetery on the outskirts of the capital.

Only family and close friends attended the final ceremony.

Maradona's casket - draped in the Argentina flag with his number 10 national jersey and Boca Juniors shirt on top, was viewed by members of the general public. Argentina's President, Alberto Fernandez, laid an Argentinos Juniors shirt on the coffin. People threw shirts and flowers at the casket, many in tears.

Queues were long, and eventually, after tension between mourners and police on the Plaza de Mayo, the palace was closed off to the public, and the cortege left for the cemetery, where Maradona was buried alongside his parents, Dalma and Diego.

In Naples, where Maradona spent seven years and won two Serie A titles, the Stadio San Paolo was illuminated before the Europa League game against Rijeka. Fans laid flowers, shirts and lit candles outside the stadium.

The Napoli players all wore the number 10 shirt in honour of Maradona.

1986 World Cup winning captain Maradona has received an outpouring of tributes from around the globe, with Pope Francis, Pele and Lionel Messi among those paying homage to an icon of the beautiful game.


Share this article


You might like