Year in Review 2020, Biggest Sports Stories: Football legend Diego Maradona passes away

Editor’s Note: It’s that time of the year already. Every end comes with an opportunity to look back and reflect, and while 2020, by general consensus, was a forgettable affair, sports did manage to conjure some moments of lasting relevance. From Liverpool ending their Premier League title wait to the mighty Indian cricket team crashing like never before in Adelaide to the passing away of some of sports’ all-time greats, the field of play, even in a truncated calendar, produced a fair share of shock, surprise, and awe. In Firstpost’s latest series, we take a look at some of the biggest sporting moments of 2020. It has been an entire month since Diego Maradona passed, yet it still feels raw, like a wound that hasn’t yet healed, a wound that, in all honesty, might never heal. Perhaps it’s difficult to truly accept his passing because he was so demonstrably full of life, someone who wrung every single drop of pleasure out of life with unparalleled determination. Maradona was a living god, one of the last wild men to walk this earth, and for all his flaws, he will be remembered for eons to come. The Argentine legend passed away on 25 November of this year of a heart attack, just weeks after undergoing brain surgery and spending time in a hospital under surveillance. His death was mourned by millions of people across the globe, many of whom had grown up captivated by his brilliance on the pitch. Argentina saw droves of fans flock to the streets in tribute, as did thousands in Naples, the city in which Maradona spent seven immensely successful years of his career.

Fans young and old have turned up to the Estadio Marcelo Bielsa today to pay tribute at the stadium where Diego Maradona once played. #D10S #RIPMaradona pic.twitter.com/rpeD8dnncB

— Newell's Old Boys - English News (@Newells_en) November 25, 2020

Tributes also flooded social media , where several players past and present including the likes of Pele, Romario, Gary Lineker and Didier Drogba voiced their condolences, but the most touching of farewells came from Maradona’s successor of sorts, Lionel Messi. After scoring in a 4-0 win against Osasuna, the Barcelona star took off his jersey to reveal a vintage Newell’s Old Boys shirt with Maradona’s No 10 printed on the back. It was a moment that truly summed up the importance that Maradona had in the lives of people, of how he motivated everyone that saw him to make the best out of what they had. [caption id=“attachment_9075271” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  Lionel Messi pays tribute to Diego Maradona. AP[/caption] That spirit of Maradona is best summed up by a single moment. It came after that match against England. After that famous illegal goal. After the goal of the century. After the match. The moment that would go on to define the man came when he brazenly christened his indiscretion. He admitted it was handball and in the very moment he chose to call it the ‘Hand of God’. Yet somehow, despite admitting to deception, he managed to turn the goal into a moment that millions will fondly remember evermore. **Click here for more stories in 'Year in Review 2020' series**