Gary Lineker has issued a glorious tribute to Diego Maradona after the news of the Argentina icon’s tragic passing was revealed. Maradona died on Wednesday, having undergone treatment for a heart attack suffered at his Buenos Aires residence; he also underwent surgery for a blood clot on his brain. He was also to be treated for alcohol dependency. He was 60. Perhaps the greatest player of all time, Maradona bewitched fans with his astonishing skill and genuinely outstanding feats of leadership both at club and international level. He won the World Cup in 1986, scoring what is widely regarded as one of the best goals of all time against England in the quarter-final, while also netting the ‘Hand of God’ goal, in which he punched the ball into the net and past the despairing Peter Shilton. Maradona also played a key role in two Serie A titles for Napoli, also winning the UEFA Cup with the Italian club, and Lineker has taken to Twitter to issue a beautiful eulogy for his former foe. Lineker led the line for England in the quarter-final, scoring their only goal in the 81st minute of the 2-1 loss. It was not enough to spark a comeback. He wrote on Twitter: “Reports from Argentina that Diego Armando Maradona has died. By some distance the best player of my generation and arguably the greatest of all time. “After a blessed but troubled life, hopefully he’ll finally find some comfort in the hands of God. #RIPDiego.”Lineker and Maradona had reunited in 2006, joking about the Hand of God, with the former Tottenham Hotspur striker asking which hand he had used. The Argentine gladly showed him.

Maradona has been beset by personal problems throughout his life, battling addiction and obesity, but continued to make an impact on the world of football even after his retirement.

He managed Argentina at the 2010 World Cup, leading them to the quarter-finals, where they were beaten by Germany.

So amazing was he, Argentina have declared three days of national mourning in the wake of his passing.