In one of the most difficult years for sports and the world in general, Diego Maradona has sadly passed away at the age of 60 due to a heart attack. The Argentine superstar was the inspiration for a lot of people outside of soccer.
His name transcended the game and Diego became a total icon in the world of sports in general. One of those people that looked up to him was Kobe Bryant, who saw Maradona as one of his idols for the things he didon Napoli.
A couple of years ago, Kobe expressed his admiration for Maradona, calling him his ‘idol’ and remembering the times he watched Diego doing his thing with Napoli in Italian football. Maradona took a little club like Napoli to the top of the standings in Italy and also reached glory in Europe, winning the formerly known UEFA Cup.
Diego Maradona was Kobe Bryant’s idol
“Maradona is my idol. I love Maradona. When I was young in Italy, I used to always watch Maradona when he played for Napoli,” Kobe said about the Argentine superstar.
One day before the 10th month since Kobe was killed in a fatal helicopter crash, Maradona has left this world, too. The 1986 FIFA World Cup champion always had admiration for Bryant, sending messages to Kobe after he retired from the NBA in 2016.
“Thanks for the magic,” Maradona told Kobe four years ago.
When Kobe died, last January 26, Diego shared a little Instagram post remembering the Black Mamba and his daughter.
“All the good ones leave. Bye legend,” Diego wrote at the time.
In one of those crazy plot twists, life surprised us this year. Kobe was killed in January and Maradona died in November. Two big legends with mutual admiration left this world and their presences will never be replaced. Rest in peace, Kobe and Diego.