'HOLA DIEGO'
Diego Maradona looks frail in last-ever footage of Argentina legend taken just days before his death aged 60
DIEGO MARADONA cut a forlorn figure as he waved to a little girl in the last-ever footage taken of the Argentina legend.
The 60-year-old can be seen walking with difficulty as he steadies himself against two men alongside him.
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But despite his obvious discomfort, the former Barcelona and Napoli star showed heart by turning and waving to the young girl.
She can be heard calling out "Hola Diego" from a house next to the rented home he died in on Wednesday - two weeks after leaving hospital following a brain operation.
Another man a few steps behind Maradona carried a foldaway chair, to allow the former footballer to rest his legs if the walk got too much for him.
As he turned to wave, the little girl, who was with her mum, excitedly said "Me saludo Maradona" - which translates as "Maradona greeted me".
The astonishing video was taken by a neighbour at the exclusive gated estate of San Andres where Maradona spent the last fortnight of his life after leaving Olivos Clinic on the outskirts of Buenos Aires.
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He was pronounced dead at the property around midday on Wednesday after failed attempts to revive him by a surgeon living on the estate and emergency responders.
His untimely death, attributed to heart failure which caused a pulmonary edema, came less than a month after he turned 60.
He is said to have died in his sleep.
State prosecutors carrying out a routine investigation into his death have been told that a nephew was the last person to see Maradona alive at around 11pm on Tuesday.
However, initial reports in Argentina said that a nurse checked on him early on Wednesday morning and sent a WhatsApp to his care team just before 9am, saying he was resting normally.
Maradona’s lawyer Matias Morla is demanding a full investigation after insisting the first ambulance took more than half an hour to arrive.
On Thursday evening, the man regarded as arguably the world’s best-ever footballer was laid to rest at a private ceremony in Jardin Bella Vista on the north-west outskirts of Buenos Aires.
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He is understood to have been buried near his beloved dad Diego and mum Dalma, better known as Dona Tota, who are both at the same cemetery.
Diego’s two daughters by ex-wife Claudia Villafane, Gianinna and Dalma, were among a group of family and close friends who carried his coffin in an intimate funeral attended by around 40 people.
His controversial lawyer and Rocio Oliva, the former girlfriend who at the start of the day was left in tears after being refused entry to a family wake, were noticeable absentees.
Thousands of well-wishers lined the route from Argentina’s Casa Rosada, the equivalent of the White House where the private and public wakes had taken place earlier in the day, to the cemetery.
The astonishing scenes, reminiscent of the sorts of crowds that normally congregate to welcome home World Cup-winning teams, contrasted sharply with the violence that marred part of the public wake on Thursday - when police closed off the queue to get into the Casa Rosada.
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Police were filmed firing rubber bullets indiscriminately at crowds to try to clear the centre of Buenos Aires, after using tear gas against youngsters who had thrown missiles at them.
There were also reports of tear gas being used inside the Casa Rosada after a handful of people scaled fencing around the government building to get into the room where Diego’s coffin had been placed.
The coffin had to be rushed out of the room and moved elsewhere for public safety, with the wake cut short.
The violence led to 13 arrests and 11 police officers were injured.
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The only other stain on the historic day was the publication of selfie photos showing a funeral parlour worker by Diego’s open coffin, before it was taken to the wake.
The employee, who received death threats, was later sacked.
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Mourners visit Maradona's coffin as it lays in state in Argentina
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