Eternal… unparalleled magician Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi mourn Maradonas death

Argentina’s ‘Little Magician’ Lionel Messi mourned the demise of fellow countryman and Prince of Football Diego Maradona on Wednesday. Messi who has often been compared with Maradona almost replicated the latter’s successful World Cup triumph of 1986 in 2014, falling shy on the final hurdle, against Germany.

Messi, who played under Maradona’s management in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, shared two pictures with his mentor and termed his death as a loss for the beautiful game.   

The 33-year-old further wrote, “A very sad day for all Argentines and for football. He leaves us but does not go away, because Diego is eternal.”

The Barcelona playmaker added, “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”

Also Read: ‘An unparalleled magician’: World mourns Maradona

Maradona, 60, died following cardiac arrest, a fortnight after undergoing surgery to remove a blood clot in his brain.

Cristiano Ronaldo also heaped lavish praises on the FIFA Player of the 20th Century award winner and called him an ‘unparalleled magician.’

The former Real Madrid player also referred to Maradona as a ‘friend’ labelling him, ‘One of the best ever.’

The Portuguese forward and the Euro 2016 winner wrote, “Today I say goodbye to a friend and the world says goodbye to an eternal genius. One of the best ever. An unparalleled magician. He leaves too soon, but leaves a legacy without limits and a void that will never be filled.”

Also Read: ‘Hope we will play soccer together in the sky’ Pele grieves over Maradona’s demise

The Juventus superstar added, “Rest in peace, ace. You will never be forgotten.”

Maradona, nicknamed the Golden Kid, represented his country on 91 occasions scoring 34 goals. The Argentine’s crowning achievement came in the 1986 World Cup when he captained his national side and led them to victory over West Germany in the final besides winning the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player.