Cine stars pay homage to football icon Diego Maradona

Mumbai/London: Film personalities, including Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and directors Vikramaditya Motwane and Asif Kapadia condoled the passing away of legendary football player Diego Maradona.

Maradona, who led his country to the 1986 World Cup title before struggling with cocaine use and obesity, died following a cardiac arrest on November 26, two weeks after undergoing surgery to remove a blood clot in his brain. He was 60.

Shah Rukh Khan, an avid sports fan, shared a picture of Maradona lifting the World Cup and said the veteran made football 'even more beautiful'.

"You will be sorely missed and may you entertain and enthral heaven as you did this world. RIP," he wrote on 'Twitter'.

"'Maidaan' brought me closer to the game. He was a football legend and a passionate sportsman. It is sad to see him go. RIP Diego Maradona," tweeted Ajay Devgn.

Motwane said that Maradona was the first football player he ever heard of. "The 86 final was the first match I ever saw. He triggered what has been a lifetime of deep love and passion for the game for me. I cannot believe he is gone so soon," wrote the director on the micro-blogging site. He also asked his followers to watch 'Diego Maradona', a documentary on the late star by Indian-origin British filmmaker Asif Kapadia.

A passionate fan of Maradona and the sport, Asif Kapadia said that the death of the football titan is hard to the process, as he 'always seemed indestructible'.

Abhishek Bachchan, an ardent fan of the game, remembered Maradona as the 'Greatest of All Time'.

Director Shekhar Kapur called the late veteran football legend as 'the greatest genius in football after Pele', the Brazilian legend.

Actor Karisma Kapoor said it was 'an honour' to meet Maradona, who last came to India in 2017.

"Thank you for your beauty, Maradona. Rest in peace," tweeted Rahul Bose.