The former Cuban president and leader of the country’s revolution, Fidel Castro, has passed away at the age of 90, an event that will place the country in mourning and also sadden his close friend Diego Maradona.
“With deep pain, I must confirm that the commander in chief of the Cuban revolution died at 22:29pm,” stated Raul Castro. “Towards victory, always!”Castro remained closely involved in politics until 2011 when his declining health resulted in him being forced to pass control to his brother.
Throughout his life, he always maintained that he was a huge fan of sport, particularly baseball but he often boasted of his friendship with one of the greatest sportsmen ever: Maradona.
The Argentine superstar first visited the Caribbean country in 1987 and since then established a close relationship with the Cuban leader.In fact, on his visits to the island, Maradona gave Castro several football jerseys, including the one he wore on his Newell’s Old Boys debut and an autographed Argentina No.10 shirt.
The Argentinian was a reasonably frequent visitor to the island and was treated there in January 2000 for drug addiction at the famous La Perdera clinic and in 2005, he interviewed Castro for La Noche del 10 programme in Argentina.
Aside from being his friend, Maradona is also a supporter of the Cuban revolution and has a tattoo of the leader of it on one leg and Che Guevara on his arm.
In 2015, Castro himself also made public some of the letters he had exchanged with the former Barcelona player, with the two men sharing their opinions on politics and sport.
“Fidel if there is one important thing I have learned from you throughout the years of our sincere and beautiful friendship, it is that loyalty is priceless,” Maradona said in one letter, dated January 15.
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