It felt like the world actually stopped spinning for a second. On November 25, 2020, the news broke that Diego Armando Maradona had passed away. For anyone who grew up watching him—or even just hearing the myths—it was a "where were you" moment.
He was 60.
Honestly, it’s hard to wrap your head around the fact that he's gone, even years later. Maradona wasn't just a guy who was good at kicking a ball. He was a god in Naples and a prophet in Argentina. When we ask when did Maradona die, we aren't just looking for a calendar date; we’re looking for the moment the "Golden Boy" became an immortal legend.
He died at his home in Dique Luján, Tigre, which is just north of Buenos Aires. He was recovering from brain surgery—a subdural hematoma procedure—that had happened only a couple of weeks earlier. Everyone thought he was on the mend. Then, the heart failure happened.
What Really Happened on November 25, 2020?
The official cause of death was chronic heart failure that caused an acute pulmonary edema. Basically, his lungs filled with fluid because his heart couldn't pump properly. It’s a heavy, clinical way to describe the end of such a vibrant, chaotic life.
He was alone in a rented house. That’s the part that still stings for a lot of fans. After the surgery on November 3, he was supposed to be in a high-care environment. Instead, he was in a house that many later argued wasn't properly equipped for a patient of his complexity.
The timeline of that morning is bleak. He woke up, had some breakfast, walked a bit, and then told his nephew, Johnny Esposito, that he didn't feel well. "Me siento mal," he said. Those were his last words. He went back to bed and never woke up. By the time the ambulances arrived—and there were many—it was too late.
The Legal Firestorm and the "Seven Doctors"
You can't talk about when Diego died without mentioning the absolute mess of a legal case that followed. This wasn't just "natural causes" in the eyes of the Argentine justice system.
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An expert medical board was eventually pulled together. Their report was scathing. They used phrases like "reckless" and "deficient" to describe his medical team. They basically argued that Diego was "abandoned to his fate" by his doctors.
Eight people, including his neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque and psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, ended up facing homicide charges. The trial has been a slow-moving beast, delayed by appeals and the sheer weight of the evidence. It’s a reminder that even in death, Maradona’s life was defined by drama and controversy.
Why the Date November 25 Matters So Much
It’s a weird coincidence, but November 25 is a heavy day in history. It’s the same day George Best died in 2005. It’s also the day Fidel Castro, a close friend of Maradona, died in 2016.
When the news hit, Argentina declared three days of national mourning. President Alberto Fernández was visibly shaken. The wake was held at the Casa Rosada, the presidential palace. Thousands of people lined up for miles. People were crying, screaming, and fighting with police just to get a glimpse of a wooden casket draped in an Argentine flag and a Number 10 jersey.
The Ghost of 1986
To understand why people reacted like this, you have to look back at why he mattered. In 1986, when he took Argentina to the World Cup title, it wasn't just sports. It was four years after the Falklands War. When he scored those two goals against England—the "Hand of God" and the "Goal of the Century"—he wasn't just a player. He was a folk hero getting "revenge" in the only way he knew how.
If you go to Naples today, his face is everywhere. He took a struggling, ignored club like Napoli and made them the kings of Italy. He gave the poor south a win over the rich north. When he died, the Stadio San Paolo was renamed the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona almost instantly.
The Health Struggles Leading Up to the End
Diego’s body had been a war zone for decades. This wasn't a secret. Between the cocaine addiction in the 80s and 90s, the hepatitis, the gastric bypass surgery, and the constant struggles with alcohol, it’s honestly a miracle he made it to 60.
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- 2000: He suffered a heart attack in Uruguay due to an overdose.
- 2004: He was on a ventilator in Buenos Aires with severe heart and respiratory issues.
- 2007: He was treated for acute hepatitis.
- 2019: He had surgery for internal bleeding in his stomach.
By the time 2020 rolled around, his mobility was shot. You’d see him on the sidelines of Gimnasia de la Plata, the team he was coaching, and he looked frail. He needed help walking. He struggled to speak clearly. It was hard to watch for those who remembered the blur of speed and muscle he used to be.
The Final Birthday
His 60th birthday was October 30, 2020. He made a brief appearance at a match for Gimnasia, but he looked ghost-like. He left early. Within days, he was hospitalized.
The subdural hematoma (a blood clot on the brain) was discovered almost by accident during scans for anemia and depression. The surgery went well, or so we were told. But the withdrawal symptoms from alcohol made the recovery much more complicated than a standard post-op period.
The Aftermath: A World Without El Pibe de Oro
Since he passed, the world of football has changed. Lionel Messi finally got his World Cup in 2022, and the first thing everyone did was look to the sky. The "Muchachos" song that became the anthem of that tournament specifically mentions Diego watching from heaven with his parents, Tota and Don Diego.
The inheritance battle has been another saga. With at least five recognized children and several others claiming to be his, the distribution of his estate—which includes everything from luxury cars to rights to his image—has been a nightmare for the courts.
Why We Can't Let Go
There’s something about Maradona that feels more human than other athletes. Pelé was a gentleman, a brand, a perfect ambassador. Maradona was a mess. He was angry, he was brilliant, he was flawed, and he was loud. He lived his life in public, every mistake magnified.
People saw themselves in him.
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When you look at when did Maradona die, you realize it was at a time when the world was already in the grip of the COVID-19 pandemic. Everything felt isolated and quiet. Then Diego died, and suddenly thousands of people were in the streets again, breaking every lockdown rule because some things are just more important than safety.
Moving Forward: Honoring the Legacy
If you want to truly understand the impact of Diego's death, don't just look at the news reports from that day. Look at the art.
Go to the La Boca neighborhood in Buenos Aires. Look at the murals. Go to the Spanish Quarter in Naples. The "shrine" there is more active now than it was when he was alive.
To honor Maradona isn't to pretend he was a saint. He definitely wasn't. It’s to acknowledge that for 90 minutes on a pitch, he made people feel like anything was possible. He was the ultimate underdog who became the ultimate king.
Actionable Steps for Fans and Historians
If you're looking to dive deeper into the life and death of Maradona, here’s how to do it properly without getting lost in the tabloid noise:
- Watch the Asif Kapadia Documentary: Simply titled Diego Maradona, it uses over 500 hours of never-before-seen footage. It focuses heavily on his time in Naples and is the best psychological profile of the man ever made.
- Read "Hand of God" by Jimmy Burns: This is widely considered the definitive biography. It doesn't shy away from the dark stuff, which is necessary to understand why his death was so complicated.
- Visit the Museo Maradona in Naples: It’s a small, fan-run spot, but it holds the soul of his Italian years.
- Follow the Trial Updates: For those interested in the legal side, Argentine outlets like Clarín or La Nación provide the most granular details on the ongoing "homicide by negligence" case.
Diego left the building on November 25, 2020, but he's still everywhere. Whether it’s a kid in a dusty street wearing a fake jersey or a stadium full of people chanting his name in the 10th minute, the "D10S" isn't going anywhere. He lived a hundred lives in sixty years. In the end, his heart just couldn't keep up with the legend.
Check the official FIFA archives for his match data if you want to see the numbers, but for the feeling, just watch the clips of him warming up to "Life is Life." That’s the Diego that really matters.
The legal proceedings regarding his medical care are expected to continue through 2026, and the findings will likely reshape how high-profile athletes are managed during post-operative recovery. Keep an eye on the Buenos Aires court filings for the final word on the responsibility of his medical circle.