The death of Argentine football great Diego Maradona prompted scenes of mourning around the world, with fans gathering to pay tribute to one of the greatest players of all time.
The World Cup winner, a national hero in his home country, died following a heart attack on Wednesday at the age of 60.
Three days of national mourning have begun in Argentina, where swarms of fans chanted Maradona’s name shortly after his death was announced.
“I can’t believe it,” one fan, Francisco Salaverry, told the AFP news agency. “It’s incredible. Everyone ends up being mortal. It feels like a bad dream.”
Fans searching for a place to grieve gravitated towards the Obelisk landmark in the centre of Buenos Aires. Hundreds wore the famous blue-and-white national colours of Argentina.
Many of those who gathered were in tears. “Few times in my life have I felt the pain that invades me today,” one lifelong fan, Mauricio Passadore, wrote on social media.
A match between Sport Club Internacional and Maradona’s former club Boca Juniors was postponed on Wednesday.
And in the capital, “Gracias Diego” replaced train information on digital signs while fans in the suburbs sang football songs.
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