Maradona Died, Pele: One Day We Will Play Ball Up There

Diego Maradona and Pele (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - Brazilian football legend Pele expressed his sadness at the news of the passing of another legend from Argentina, Diego Maradona, on Wednesday.

Pele said his grief was deep because he had to lose a friend and rival "in this way."

"I believe one day we will play football in the sky over there," Pele said in a statement.

Although he never met on the gridiron, because Maradona only joined the Argentine national team starting in 1977, six years after Pele hung up his boots from the Samba team, the two names are often mentioned in the debate about who is the greatest player of all time.

Later in December 2000, Pele and Maradona were named FIFA Players of the Century.

Maradona died aged 60 after suffering a heart attack, a spokesman confirmed.