Diego Armando Maradona dies in Argentina at the age of 60

Buenos Aires, November 25 (RHC)-- Argentinean soccer giant Diego Armando Maradona has died at the age of 60 in Tigre, an Argentinean town just north of the capital Buenos Aires.  He was widely regarded as one of the greatest football/soccer players of all time, and by many as the greatest ever.

Maradona was one of the two joint winners of the FIFA Player of the 20th Century award.  Observers say that Maradona's vision, passing, ball control and dribbling skills were combined with his small stature (1.65 m or 5 ft 5 in), which gave him a low center of gravity allowing him to manoeuvre better than most other football players; he would often dribble past multiple opposing players on a run. 

His presence and leadership on the field had a great effect on his team's general performance, while he would often be singled out by the opposition.  In addition to his creative abilities, he also possessed an eye for goal and was known to be a free kick specialist.  A precocious talent, Maradona was given the nickname "El Pibe de Oro" ("The Golden Boy"), a name that stuck with him throughout his career.

Diego Armando Maradona was a huge supporter of the Cuban Revolution and a personal friend of the historic leader of the Revolution, Fidel Castro.   Ironically, he would die on the fourth anniversary of the death of his great friend, Fidel.