Argentina Bids Final Farewell to Favorite Son Maradona

Massive crowds took a mourning farewell Thursday to Argentina's favorite son Diego Maradona before he was buried in the outskirts of the capital after a farewell that often plunged into turmoil.

As the darkness fell, the soccer hero was laid to rest after a ceremony attended by relatives and close friends in the leafy surroundings of the Bella Vista Cemetery outside Buenos Aires, reports AFP.

One of the greatest footballers of all time, the World Cup winner died on Wednesday aged 60, sparking mourning around the world.

“I thought Diego was immortal, I thought he would never die on us. I feel a terrible sadness for a person who made us so, so happy,” said 63-year-old bus driver Antonio Avila outside the cemetery.

The quiet farewell to the cemetery contrasted sharply with the often raucous scenes of his send-off in Buenos Aires, which somehow seemed to be in line with the turbulent life of the player.

There, riot police fired tear gas and rubber bullets in clashes with stone-throwing fans who briefly threatened to mar a day of mourning for a beloved hero.

– Thousands bid farewell –

Tens of thousands of people lined up early in the morning to file past the star's coffin, wrapped in the Argentine flag, and the player's No.10 jersey, in the presidential palace.

But as the day went on, fans queuing outside the palace became increasingly restless, and some took over the courtyard inside, shouting slogans, prompting officials to move Maradona's coffin to another room as a safety precaution.

Despite an earlier declaration that the lie-in-state had been extended by several hours, officials locked the doors, and riot police clashed with stone-throwing fans on the streets outside the palace, arresting a few people.

Later, the hearse carrying Maradona's flag-drawn coffin passed through the doors of the presidential building and onto the streets of Buenos Aires.

Fans crammed onto roadsides and highway bridges as the funeral cortege raced toward the western suburbs, surrounded by police outsiders with sirens blaring.

Dozens of photographers and cameramen followed closely behind on bikes.

– Outrageous skill –

The outrageously skillful Maradona, widely remembered for his “Hand of God” goal against England in the 1986 World Cup quarter-finals, died of a heart attack while recovering from brain surgery.

“He was the best in the world, we’re going to miss him and his death broke our souls,” said Diego Armando Cabral, a 29-year-old bricklayer in Buenos Aires who was named after the footballer.

Tributes poured in from around the world following the star’s death.

His career and life were sometimes tainted by a loose interpretation of the rules of the game and a crippling addiction to cocaine and alcohol.

Lionel Messi, Argentina’s modern-day superstar, led the tributes as he said: “He has left us but he will never leave us because Diego is eternal.”

Brazilian legend Pele, 80, constantly compared with Maradona in the debate over football’s greatest player, said he hoped they would one day “play together in the sky.”

– ‘Hand of God’ –

Maradona, born in poverty in Lanus, just south of Buenos Aires, on October 30, 1960, also played for the Argentine clubs Argentinos Juniors and Boca Juniors, as well as for the Spanish giants Barcelona, before becoming a hero in the working class Southern Italian city of Naples.

In his most infamous match, he leapt and used his fist to score past England goalkeeper Peter Shilton in the 1986 World Cup quarter-finals in Mexico City, unseen by the referee. Maradona memorably described the goal as “a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God.”

Nevertheless, just minutes after that goal, the diminutive Maradona weaved through six English defenders from the halfway line to score an unforgettable solo second that has been honored as FIFA’s “Goal of the Century.”

The two contrasting goals perfectly encapsulated the combination of brilliant talent and sometimes outlandish conduct that flowed through Maradona's existence.

His career was crowned by his success at the World Cup, when he was captain of Argentina.

Maradona also inspired Argentina to the final of the 1990s, only for West Germany to take revenge. He failed a doping test at the 1994 World Cup and was sent home from the United States in disgrace.

Maradona's lifestyle has taken a heavy toll on his health. In the last 20 years, he has been treated three times for severe health problems.

– ‘Ciao Diego’ –

His exceptional talent was evident from a young age, and after staring at Boca Juniors, he was moved to Barcelona. After a tumultuous time in Spain, a world record move to Naples came to describe his club career.

Maradona enchanted the entire city by leading the then-unfashionable Napoli to their first two Italian league titles in the years 1987 and 1990, befriending the mafia family along the way.

In Naples, heartbroken fans gathered at the Stadio San Paolo stadium to lay candles, scarves and shirts, creating a makeshift shrine to their hero.

“He was our Sunday warrior,” Fernando Carfora, 46, said. “Maradona didn’t play with his feet, he played with his head. Nobody scored Maradona’s goals.”

Maradona’s playing career went into swift decline after leaving Napoli under a cloud in 1991 following another failed drug test.

As a coach, he led Argentina to the 2010 World Cup before spells with clubs in the United Arab Emirates, Mexico and his home country again — the last at Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata — but he could never hit the heights of his playing days.

Maradona married his long-time friend Claudia Villafane in 1984. They had two daughters, Dalma and Gianinna, but the relationship was punctuated by the extra-marital affair of Maradona and divorced in 2004.

He also had a son, Diego Junior, born in Naples in 1986, but he only accepted his fatherhood in 2004.