The entire sports world was saddened to hear the news of the passing of Argentinian soccer legend Diego Maradona, who is considered by many to be one of, if not, the best soccer player of all time. Maradona suffered a heart attack in his home of Buenos Aires.
Maradona was a transcendent talent who is most known for his time with Italian squad Napoli with whom he spent seven years with from 1984-1991 and also spent time with Spanish sides such as Barcelona and Boca Juniors.
He also appeared in four World Cups, leading Argentina to the 1986 World Cup Title and unanimously winning the Golden Ball trophy as the best player in the tournament.
Many stars across sports paid their respects to Maradona following the announcement of the news, including Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson, as he sent his prayers and condolences:
The world lost one of the greatest soccer players that ever lived Diego Maradona. It was one of the thrills of my life when I got to meet him. Rest In Peace my friend and my prayers go out to his family. ???????? pic.twitter.com/SgQvij7a72
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) November 25, 2020
Johnson and Maradona rose to the peaks of their fame at around the same time in the mid-80s. Magic was possibly the most famous athlete in the world at that time, winning championships with the ‘Showtime’ Lakers while Maradona was dazzling soccer fans in a way that no one had seen at that time.
Their games were also surprisingly similar as both were once-in-a-lifetime playmakers who were dynamic with the ball and could set up teammates in ways no one could imagine. The loss of Maradona was a sad one that sent shockwaves through the soccer world and clearly stretched much farther than just the soccer pitch.
Magic Johnson believes Rob Pelinka deserves more credit
The relationship between Johnson and Lakers vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka seemed to be non-existent following the former’s departure from the franchise and subsequent interviews that painted Pelinka in an awful light in 2019.
But the two repaired their relationship and celebrated the 2020 championship together. Following Pelinka’s offseason moves to re-tool the Lakers, Johnson again praised the Lakers GM, and added that he believes Pelinka deserves more respect for what he has done for the franchise.
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