The world of football is in mourning after the death of icon Diego Maradona at the age of 60 from a heart attack.
Front pages from across the globe paid tribute to the sporting legend on Thursday, a day after he passed away in Buenos Aires.
From Europe to the USA, India to Malaysia, Nigeria and – of course- throughout his native South America, photos of Maradona’s face were inked across pages.
‘God is dead,’ declared France’s L’Equipe – far from the only publication to compare the 5ft 4ins Argentine to the Almighty.
Spain’s Marca newspaper also ran with a touching quote of Maradona’s which read: ‘If I am reborn, I want to be a footballer. And I want to be Diego Armando Maradona again. I am a player who has made people happy, and that is enough for me.’
L’Equipe’s front page on Thursday pays tribute to Maradona with ‘God is dead’ on the front
Spanish newspaper Marca printed a double-page image of Maradona, along with a quote of his which reads: ‘If I am reborn, I want to be a footballer. And I want to be Diego Armando Maradona again. I am a player who has made people happy and that is enough for me’
Italian newspaper Tuttosport bid ‘adios’ to Maradona using his famous no.10 shirt number, while Corriere dello Sport declared ‘Diego lives’
Gazzetta dello Sport in Italy lead with ‘the death of the God of football’ alongside a headline which says ‘I saw Maradona’ along with a picture of him kissing the World Cup in 1986
Mundo Deportivo, a daily sports paper in Barcelona (left) says that all sport mourns Maradona, while Spanish daily Sport added: ‘God is already in heaven’
Cronica, a daily newspaper in Maradona’s native Buenos Aires, bid him ‘adios’ alongside a glowing tribute which ends with: ‘Thank you for everything, maestro!’
France’s Liberation newspaper ran with the headline ‘Heavenly’ alongside a picture of Maradona from the back, with his signature dark black hair and no.10 shirt
Maradona’s touch, speed and poise was a fabulous combination on the pitch and propelled him from the slums of Buenos Aires to timeless stardom through the world of football.
The unplayable level that he reached as he spearheaded Argentina’s surge to 1986 World Cup glory in Mexico is most prominently remembered.
The Italian papers, in the country where he also thrived with Napoli, mainly lead with pictures of him in the blue and white of his country.
La Gazzetta dello Sport, with a picture of Maradona kissing the iconic World Cup trophy in 86, say: ‘I saw Maradona’.
Diario AS, a Spanish sporting newspaper, also used the headline ‘God is dead’ paying tribute to Maradona’s shirt number and with a picture of the sun as it appears on the Argentine flag
Spain’s La Razon punned on ‘adios Digeo’, splitting the word so it could also read ‘A God, Diego’, while Sweden’s Dagen Nyheter wrote: ‘He showed football heaven’
El Pais and El Mundo, Spain’s largest daily newspapers, went with ‘Maradona dead, a God of football’ and ‘the legend that touched the sky’
La Nacion, one of Argentina’s largest newspapers, said simply ‘Thank you, champion’ while Madrid’s ABC printed a full-page picture along with ‘Diego’
One of the back pages circulating online showed Maradona in his famous Argentinian kit, among clouds, with the simple headline: ‘Adios’
Tuttosport have the picture of him being carried on the shoulders of his team-mates in the immediate aftermath of his World Cup triumph at the Aztec stadium, with the headline: ‘AD10S’, referencing the No 10 shirt that became synonymous with his career.
Corrierre dello Sport have a picture of Maradona in his Napoli days under the headline ‘Diego Lives’.
In Spain, the tributes to Argentina are just as gracious. Marca runs a powerful quote of Maradona reflecting on his life on its front page, which says: ‘If I die I want to be born again and I want to be a footballer.
Argentina’s Ole newspaper went with the headline ‘1960-Infinity’ while Paglina 12, from Maradona’s native Buenos Aires, wrote: ‘I don’t want this pain in my heart’
French newspapers L’Humanite (left) and La Provence (right) both ran full-page images of Maradona, with one writing – in Spanish – ‘Goodbye friend’
France’s Le Parisien newspaper ran with the headline ‘in the hands of God’, referencing his infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal against England at the ’86 World Cup
The Irish Examiner made space on their front page to honour Maradona’s passing, while Nigeria’s Sporting Life dedicated its back page to stories about him
And I want to be Diego Armando Maradona again. I am a player who has brought joy to the people and that is enough for me.’
Mundo Deportivo – the Barcelona based publication – also run with an ‘AD10S’ style headline and say all of sport, not just football, is mourning his death.
AS’s front page read ‘D10S Ha Muerto’ with a picture of Maradona wearing an Argentina shirt while stood in front of the sun.
Sport use the same picture as Tuttosport in Italy but with the headline: ‘God is already in heaven.’
Spain’s El Periodico printed and image of Maradona in a Barcelona shirt along with the caption ‘Adios’, but styled so that it could also read: ‘A God’
Germany’s Die Welt newspaper printed Maradona on the front page, while Barcelona’s La Vanguardia paid tribute to ‘a global legend of football’
Danish newspaper Politiken went with the headline ‘God’s hand brings him home’ while Italy’s Corriere Della Sera wrote: ‘The rebel genius who played the best football’
Catalan-language newspaper Ara paid a full-page tribute to Maradona, while the sporting hero also featured on the front page of Gara newspaper, from the autonomous Basque region
Nigeria’s Vanguard newspaper squeezed Maradona on to its front page, while Spain’s La Voz de Galicia also led with the news of his death
Maradona’s death occupied the front page of the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday
Middle Eastern newspaper Gulf Today paid tribute to Maradona on its front page
Malaysian-language newspapers found space to pay tribute to the Argentinian footballer
Hindi-language newspapers in India also ran front-page tributes to the footballing legend