Diego Maradona

Napoli’s stadium now officially Stadio Diego Armando Maradona

By Dec 4, 2020, 12:26 PM EST
Diego Maradona Stadium
Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images
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Napoli have officially renamed their stadium in memory of the late, great Diego Maradona.

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Originally named the Stadio San Paolo, after Saint Paul the Apostle, Napoli’s home stadium will henceforth be called the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

Maradona passed away last week, from heart failure, at the age of 60.

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Maradona is something of a real-life deity figure in Naples after arriving to incredible fanfare and leading Napoli to the only two Serie A titles in the club’s history, in 1987 and 1990.

The Naples city council released the following statement on Friday:

With his immense talent and his magic, he honored the Napoli shirt for seven years, giving it two historical championships and other prestigious cups, and receiving in exchange from the whole city an eternal and unconditional love.

…

Through the football victories of the Argentine champion, it was not only the Napoli team that won but the whole city, which fully identifies with him.

Always on the side of the weakest and the common people, Maradona fought the prejudices and discrimination that Neapolitans were still subjected to inside the stadiums, becoming the idol of the entire city.

More on Diego Maradona's passing

La Liga results
La Liga: Real Madrid beaten again; Messi honors Maradona with iconic goal,...
Messi Maradona
WATCH: Messi scores stunner, honors Maradona with emotional celebration
Maradona
Tributes pour in for Diego Maradona

La Liga: Real Madrid beaten again; Messi honors Maradona with iconic goal, celebration

By Nov 29, 2020, 7:26 PM EST
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A roundup of the weekend’s results in La Liga, where Real Madrid lost once again, Lionel Messi honored Diego Maradona with a special goal and tribute, and Atletico Madrid are inching closer toward being title favorites…

[ WATCH: Messi scores stunner, honors Maradona with emotional celebration ]

Real Madrid 1-2 Alaves

Zinedine Zidane’s side suffered its third loss of the season on Saturday — all in their last six outings, with just seven points to show for their efforts — after falling 2-0 behind to Alaves. It was 1-0 after just five minutes, thanks to Nacho giving away an early penalty kick for handball.

Joselu pounced on Thibaut Courtois’s errant pass to make it 2-0 for Alaves in the 49th minute, and Real Madrid were very quickly in a very uncomfortable position. Casemiro didn’t make it 2-1 until he bundled the ball over the line in the 86th minute, at which point Los Blancos had precious little time left to begin their search for an equalizer.

To make matters even worse, Eden Hazard was forced off in just the 28th minute due to a knock he suffered in the first half. He is expected to miss Real Madrid’s UEFA Champions League clash with Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday as they await word on a longer-term prognosis.

As consequence of the result, Real Madrid have fallen to seven points back of the league leaders and sit fourth in the La Liga table.

Barcelona 4-0 Osasuna

On a day of somber and celebratory scenes at the Camp Nou, Barcelona bounced back from a disappointing defeat to Atletico Madrid last weekend by thrashing relegation-battling Osasuna on Sunday.

Former Barcelona star Diego Maradona was honored heavily throughout the proceedings — before, during and after the game.

Martin Braithwaite (29th minute), Antoine Griezmann (42nd) and Philippe Coutinho (57th) scored goals to make it 3-0 for the home side with nary a contribution from Lionel Messi. But, of course Messi wouldn’t remain silent with Maradona, the Argentine legend who came before him, to be remembered and honored.

When Messi scored Barcelona’s fourth goal — a left-footed rocket from the edge of the box after a brief slaloming run through midfield with the ball glued to his feet — in the 73rd minute, Messi celebrated by removing his own no. 10 shirt and revealing a classic Newell’s Old Boys shirt with Maradona’s no. 10 on the back as he kissed his hands and reached toward the sky (WATCH HERE).

The victory sees Barcelona rise up to seventh in the La Liga table, now 10 points off the top spot.

Valencia 0-1 Atletico Madrid

Atletico Madrid moved to within one point of the top of the table with a win over Valencia on Saturday (and Real Sociedad’s draw with Villarreal on Sunday).

Diego Simeone’s side didn’t even score the game’s only goal themselves — they have Valencia’s Toni Lato to thank for that — but three points are three points no matter which way they’re won.

Other La Liga results

Real Sociedad 1-1 Villarreal
Real Valladolid 1-1 Levante
Elche 1-1 Cadiz
Huesca 0-1 Sevilla
Getafe 1-1 Athletic Bilbao
Celta Vigo 3-1 Granada

WATCH: Messi scores stunner, honors Maradona with emotional celebration

By Nov 29, 2020, 10:08 AM EST
Messi Maradona
Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images
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Argentine hero Lionel Messi paid tribute to his country’s icon, the late Diego Maradona, with an emotional goal celebration on Sunday.

Messi scored a beautiful goal to give Barcelona a 4-0 lead over Osasuna on Sunday morning, taking off his shirt to reveal a Newell’s Old Boys No. 10 jersey.

[ MORE: Remembering Diego Maradona ]

Maradona passed away Wednesday at the age of 60 and tributes have come in from around the world, with many top leagues around the world honoring the Argentine legend before kickoff this weekend.

Barcelona had an oversized No. 10 shirt at midfield before the game, and Messi clearly had Maradona in and over his heart on Sunday.

Maradona played for Newell’s, Messi’s childhood club, between 1993-94 after playing for Barca a decade earlier. Maradona also managed Messi with Argentina between 2008-10.

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Tributes pour in for Diego Maradona

By Nov 26, 2020, 9:12 AM EST
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Tributes have poured in from across the world after Diego Maradona died at the age of 60.

A legend of the game, Maradona’s passing has been met with huge sadness across the world but many have also been remembering all of the incredible moments one of the greatest players in history delivered.

[ MORE: Maradona’s legacy is eternal ]

Diego Armando Maradona reportedly suffered a cardiac arrest in his home in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Wednesday, as three days of national mourning have been declared in his homeland. His body has been placed in the presidential palace in Buenos Aires and over one million are expected to pay tributes to Argentina’s favorite son as lines to get into the building snaked across the center of the Argentine capital.

The biggest names from across the soccer world have paid tribute to Maradona, as his former club Napoli have suggested they will rename their stadium in his honor. Lionel Messi said that Maradona is ‘eternal’ while Pele has stated that he looks forward playing with him ‘in the sky’ in the future.

Boca Juniors, Maradona’s boyhood club who he played for across two spells, turned all of the lights off in their La Bombonera stadium except for one light which shined brightly from Maradona’s box on the halfway line.

The loss of Maradona has swept sadness across the soccer world, and below is a look at the scenes and tributes from around the world.

Diego Maradona dies at 60

By Nov 25, 2020, 6:00 PM EST
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Diego Maradona, one of the greatest players in the history of the game, has died in his homeland of Argentina.

Maradona, who just turned 60, had only recently left hospital after having successful surgery on his brain to remove a blood clot as he fell ill in October.

[ MORE: Maradona’s legacy is immeasurable ]

The man who led Argentina to glory in the 1986 World Cup is revered around the world for his incredible skill as a player. The reports from Argentina which broke the news about the death of Diego Maradona has caused shockwaves around the world.

Argentina will now observe three days of national mourning, while players across the globe will wear black armbands and pay their respects in the coming days.

[ MORE: Soccer world reacts to Maradona’s death ]

Several reports state that the legendary player suffered a ‘cardiac arrest’ and died in his home in the San Andres neighborhood of Buenos Aires. The Argentine Football Federation and his agent and lawyer Matias Morla then confirmed the sad news.

Maradona was the manager of Gimnasia y Esgrima in the Argentine top-flight when he was taken ill in October and his doctors had said he needed rest and support to recover.

During his player career at club level he led Napoli to two Serie A titles after his surprise move from Barcelona, and was a star at his beloved Boca Juniors after making his name at Argentinos Juniors.

Alongside Pele, and current stars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, it is clear that Maradona will go down as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, players in history.

Off the pitch Maradona had plenty of problems, including multiple health problems over the years, most recently in 2019 when he suffered with internal bleeding in his stomach.

He also passed out after watching an Argentina game at the 2018 World Cup and needed treatment, while he had several heart procedures and also checked in to rehab to deal with drug and alcohol addiction.

Diego Armando Maradona was an inspiration to anyone who loved the beautiful game and his status as a legend will remain intact forever.