In Pics: Die-Hard Diego Maradona Fans Mourn Death Of Argentina's Treasured Sporting Icon

Thousands of upset Diego Maradona supporters walked through the streets of Argentina's capital city Buenos Aires to pay homage to the beloved football star and legendary sportsman.

Fans gather to mourn death of Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona (Image: AFP/ Getty Images)

Diego Maradona's tragic demise due to cardiac arrest on Wednesday has left millions of his die-hard fans all around his motherland Argentina and the world heartbroken and shattered. A sporting icon for the soccer loving South American nation, Maradona went onto attain demi-god like status when he spearheaded Argentina's title winning campaign at the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico. Thousands of Maradona supporters walked through the streets of Buenos Aires to pay homage to the beloved football star and legendary sportsman. Maradona shared a very a deep connect with his fellow Argentine citizens as he had risen to the very pinnacle of footballing greatness from from the streets of Buenos Aires. Fans gather to mourn death of Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona (Image: AFP/ Getty Images) Maradona's countrymen from his hometown of Villa Fiorito gathered to pray in front of Argentina's national flag, which imposters Maradona's picture with a black ribbon. Fans in Boca Juniors, which was Maradona's former club, laid bouquets of flowers. "I came because I felt him. He's from here, from us," said Juan Jose Quinteros, 50, a Boca supporter who came to mourn Maradona outside the club. "Diego is the greatest there is, the best. I met my wife in 1986 when Diego scored the goal with his hand," said 53-year-old Buenos Aires resident Jose Luis Shokiva. The Beira-Rio stadium in in Porto Alegre, home to Brazilian Sports Club Internacional lit with the colours of the Argentine flag as a mark of respect for Argentina's deceased soccer star Diego Armando Maradona Fans in Maradona's old club Napoli set off red smoke at a mural to their hero in the city. "Always in our hearts. Ciao Diego," Napoli tweeted, while the club’s president and Naples’ mayor both made a demand to rename the Stadio San Paolo after their club hero Maradona.