Liam Gallagher leads celebrity tributes to Diego Maradona: ‘The real f***ing deal’

Argentine football hero has died aged 60

Liam Gallagher has led the celebrity tributes to Argentine football legend Diego Maradona, who died aged 60 after suffering a heart attack.

Earlier this month, the football star had undergone major surgery for a blood clot on his brain.

Emergency paramedics were called to his home where he received treatment, but the football icon was unable to be resuscitated, the Associated Press reported.

Liam Gallagher described Maradona as a “proper RNR footballer” who “no f***er will ever come near”, and called him “the real f***ing deal”.

“Met Maradonna not once but 2x and he was the real f***ing deal scary but beautiful hash tag blessed,” he tweeted.

UK band Sleaford Mods wrote: “Diego Maradona was the winner. Hand of God or not. Come on. He was like watching a Warner brothers cartoon character. Haha, like watching a Lamborghini challenge a load of Walls Sausages. We looked like c***s next to him. Forget it. RIP.”

Brian May shared a photograph of Queen with Maradona backstage in 1981, and praised his “wonderful talent”.

“We enjoyed spending time with him when we played Velez Sarsfield Stadium, Buenos Aires in 1981,” he wrote. “And he came on stage with us, to a massive roar. And that’s my T-shirt he’s wearing here … bless him.”

AJ Tracey tweeted: “Damn RIP to one of the greatest ever,” while Primal Scream shared a video of Maradona’s “Top 50 Amazing Skill Moves Ever”.

A tweet from the account of indie-pop band Glass Animals called him a “magician”.

Three days of national mourning for Maradona have been declared in Argentina by president Alberto Fernandez, who said: “You took us to the top of the world. You made us immensely happy. You were the greatest of them all.

“Thank you for having existed, Diego. We're going to miss you all our lives.”

Read The Independent’s tribute here.