Lionel Messi pays tribute to 'eternal' Diego Maradona on anniversary of Argentina legend's death

Maradona was in Messi's thoughts on Monday as the Inter Miami superstar paid tribute to the Argentine great. He posted a simple message of "Eternal" on Instagram stories to his 504 million followers with a photograph of the great man holding aloft the World Cup trophy after Argentina's win in Mexico in 1986.

Lionel Messi Instagram

Messi's tribute marks four years since Maradona's death at the age of 60. The football legend died of a heart attack at his home in Buenos Aires home. Argentina declared three days of mourning at the time as the nation grieved the loss of a true great. Maradona led Argentina to their second World Cup triumph and the country then had to wait until 2022 for their next win when Messi inspired the Albiceleste to victory in Qatar.

Maradona's former club Napoli also paid tribute to the great man. Manager Antonio Conte, captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo and president Aurelio De Laurentiis laid flowers at two of the murals of Maradona in the city, while fans also gathered below a huge mural of the Argentine at the Quartieri Spagnoli.

Argentina fans are looking ahead to World Cup 2026 and will be hoping Messi can continue to lead the team at the tournament. Lionel Scaloni's team currently top the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying standings after 12 games, sitting four points clear of Uruguay ahead of a meeting between the two teams in March 2025.