Beckham expresses grief on demise of 'pure genius' Maradona

New Delhi [India], November 26 (ANI): Former footballer David Beckham on Thursday mourned the demise of legendary player Diego Maradona and said the Argentine was "nothing less than a pure genius".

Maradona passed away after suffering a heart attack at the age of 60.

Beckham took to Instagram to share his picture with Maradona and wrote: "A sad day for Argentina and a sad day for football as we celebrate the greatness of what this man gave us... Someone that played with passion, spirit and was nothing less than a pure genius .. I was so excited to meet Diego and we will all miss him Rest In Peace."

The 60-year-old Maradona had been hospitalised at the start of November, days after celebrating his birthday, Goal.com had reported.

Maradona was hospitalised as he complained of regularly being fatigued. His tests at the La Plata clinic revealed a blood clot in Maradona's brain, which doctors later revealed was operated on successfully.

As per a report in Goal.com, Maradona was also released from the hospital, but in the early hours of Wednesday, Maradona suffered cardiac arrest, and paramedics at the scene failed to revive him.

Barcelona's Lionel Messi had also extended condolences to Maradona's family and said "Diego is eternal."

"A very sad day for all Argentines and for football. He leaves us but does not go away, because Diego is eternal. I keep all the beautiful moments lived with him and I wanted to take the opportunity to send my condolences to all his family and friends. RIP," he wrote on Instagram.

Maradona had begun his professional career with Argentinos Juniors at the age of 16 and he went on to become one of the greatest players to ever play the game of football.

He represented Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla, and Newell's Old Boys as a player. Maradona was considered the main player in taking Argentina to their second World Cup title in 1986. (ANI)