The Bermuda Football Association joined the long list of tributes paid around the world to footballing great Diego Maradona who passed away yesterday at the age of 60.

The Argentina World Cup winner, who also managed the team in 2010, died after suffering a cardiac arrest his lawyer Matias Morla confirmed yesterday.

In his peak, Maradona was considered one of the world’s greatest players and was often compared to Pelé of Brazil who is also regarded as the greatest of all time.

The BFA joins the global football family in mourning the passing of one of football’s most iconic personalities.

“Today we learnt of the passing of Diego Armando Maradona,” said Mark Wade, the BFA president. “His life took many turns; but he will be remembered for his displays in the famed No 10 shirt. He showed his potential on the international stage making his debut at 17 for his beloved Argentina and realised that potential in 1986 when he captained his country to become Fifa World Cup champions.

“I thank Argentina and “El Pibe de Oro” for helping me fall in love with the beautiful game.

“The BFA send words of condolences to all those near and far who cheered and called themselves fans of Diego Maradona. May he rest in peace!”

Maradona helped Argentina win the World Cup in Mexico in 1986 and was a part of the squad that reached the final in 1990 in Italy. Maradona earned disdain for his “Hand of God” goal scored against England in the 1986 quarter-finals when he pushed the ball into the goal with his hand.

The goal was not ruled out, though Maradona followed up that incident with a brilliant solo effort in the same game that was described as the “goal of the century”.

Maradona’s playing career ended in shame when he failed a drugs test at the 1994 World Cup in the United States. He was also banned from football in 1991 after testing positive for cocaine while playing for Napoli in Italy where he won two Serie A titles.

Maradona also played for Barcelona, Seville, Boca Juniors and Newell’s Old Boys and was most recently coach of Gimnasia y Esgrima in La Plata, Argentina.

Despite his challenges on and off the field, he was a match-winner for club and country with the ball at his feet. It is how football fans prefer to remember him.