World Mourns Diego Maradona: ‘He Always Seemed Indestructible’

The world took to social media on Wednesday to mourn the death of Argentine soccer player Diego Armando Maradona, among the greatest soccer players of all time, whose career skyrocketed in Italy where he played for A.C. Napoli starting in the mid-1980s.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte tweeted, “The entire world mourns the loss of Maradona, who with his unequalled talent has written unforgettable pages in soccer history. Goodbye eternal champion.”

Il mondo intero piange la scomparsa di #Maradona, che con il suo talento ineguagliabile ha scritto pagine indimenticabili della storia del calcio. Addio eterno campione. pic.twitter.com/nhNo1ySjdp

— Giuseppe Conte (@GiuseppeConteIT) November 25, 2020

British director Asif Kapadia, who made the high-profile doc “Maradona,” was among the first to respond on Twitter, noting he “can’t quite believe DM has gone.”

“Hard to process. He always seemed indestructible. I had 10 hours with the man!! I touched his left foot. We did our best to show the world the man, the myth, the fighter he was. The greatest #legend.”

Cant quite believe DM has gone. Hard to process. He always seemed indestructible. I had 10 hours with the man!! I touched his left foot. We did our best to show the world the man, the myth, the fighter he was. The greatest #legend #DiegoMaradona @MaradonaMovie #Diego #maradona pic.twitter.com/4BSULN9rdt

— asifkapadia (@asifkapadia) November 25, 2020

Another soccer legend, Brazil’s Pelé, also issued a statement to Reuters: “Certainly, one day we’ll kick a ball together in the sky above”

”Even if I played for a million years, I’d never come close to Diego Maradona. Not that I would want to anyway. He’s the greatest there’s ever been,” shared Maradona’s compatriot, and younger current champion, Lionel Messi.

”Even if I played for a million years, I’d never come close to Diego Maradona. Not that I would want to anyway. He’s the greatest there’s ever been.”

– Lionel Messi pic.twitter.com/hKAc7RIQMY

— 433 (@433) November 25, 2020

Besides Kapadia’s multiple prize-winning work, soccer fans also paid tribute to Maradona by referencing Emir Kusturica’s Maradona doc.

“Whatever you will do tonight or in the next days, find the time to watch (or rewatch) ‘Maradona’ by Kusturica. This is Diego, this was Diego. The best one we ever had. Forever,” he tweeted.

Whatever you will do tonight or in the next days, find the time to watch (or rewatch) ‘Maradona’ by Kusturica.

This is Diego, this was Diego. The best one we ever had. Forever. pic.twitter.com/ZrCW0bvuLy

— Francesco Porzio (@fraporzio95) November 25, 2020

But tributes transcended Maradona’s mystique as a soccer player, touching on his persona as symbol of social empowerment who hobnobbed with leftist world leaders.

“Maradona had committed the sin of being the best, the crime of speaking out about things the powerful wanted kept quiet,” wrote Eduardo Galeano.

But nobody mourned Maradona as powerfully as the team where he thrived.

“The world awaits out words but there are no words to describe the pain we’re going through. Now is the time to grieve,” the official SSC Napoli Twitter account shared, adding “Always in our hearts.”

The world awaits our words but there are no words to describe the pain we’re going through. Now is the time to grieve.
Diego 💙 pic.twitter.com/40TTOIDNQ4

— Official SSC Napoli (@en_sscnapoli) November 25, 2020

Always in our hearts 💙

Ciao, Diego pic.twitter.com/I2gTWqdtdB

— Official SSC Napoli (@en_sscnapoli) November 25, 2020