HAMBURG, GERMANY - AUGUST 13: Freundschaftsspiel 1987, Hamburg; Hamburger SV - SSC Neapel; Diego MARADONA/Neapel (Photo by Bongarts/Getty Images)

Argentina has announced three days of mourning following the death of football legend Diego Maradona.

Maradona, 60, died of a heart attack at his home near Buenos Aires on Wednesday.

The Argentine Football Association confirmed the news on Wednesday and posted a short message on its social media platforms.
“The Argentine Football Association, through its President Claudio Tapia, expresses its deepest sorrow for the death of our legend, Diego Armando Maradona. You will always be in our hearts,”

The former midfielder and national coach battled health problems and underwent surgery earlier this month for a blood clot on his brain.

He captained Argentina to victory at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, winning the Golden Ball as best player of the tournament.

It was the same tournament that saw his infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal against England in the quarter-finals.

Diego Maradona scored more than 300 goals, but the two most memorable ones came within four minutes of each other in the 1986 World Cup.

Although his reputation was tarnished by drug problems, and various other off-field indiscretions, he remained idolised in football-mad Argentina as the ‘Pibe de Oro’ or ‘Golden Boy’.

Maradona played for Barcelona, before joining Napoli where he helped the club win their first Serie A title.

He had won a total of nine club titles with Boca Juniors (1), Barcelona (3) and Napoli (5) and played in four World Cups and won the 1986 World Cup and Golden Ball.

Tributes from supporters, world leaders and football players continue to pour out on social media.