RIP: Autopsy reveals cause of Diego Maradona’s death

A general view shows a mural by artist Jorit depicting late Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona, in Naples, Italy November 26, 2020. [REUTERS/Yara Nardi]

Argentina football legend Diego Armando Maradona died on Wednesday at his home in Buenos Aires and the cause of death was confirmed by an autopsy on Thursday.

According to Mirror, Maradona died in his sleep after suffering heart failure which caused a pulmonary edema, a preliminary autopsy discovered.

Pulmonary edema is a condition caused by excess fluid in the lungs. This fluid collects in the numerous air sacs in the lungs, making it difficult to breathe. In most cases, heart problems cause pulmonary edema.

The football icon’s body arrived at the presidential palace in Argentina on Thursday as a country continues pays its last respects.

Grieving fans also gathered outside the Buenos Aires stadium in Argentina where Maradona started his career and which has since been renamed in his honour.

Maradona's last words before he died on Wednesday were revealed by the Daily Mail on Thursday.

His words were 'I feel sick', it emerged yesterday as the world reeled from the shock of his death.

'Me siento mal,' he told his nephew - 'I feel sick' - before returning to bed in the Buenos Aires mansion in Argentina.

People decorate a statue of Argentine soccer great Maradona before a prayer meeting, in Kolkata, India, November 26, 2020. [REUTERS/Rupak De Chowdhuri]

Maradona had come down for breakfast on Wednesday morning looking pale and complaining that he felt cold.

Later a nurse discovered the ‘football god’ was in bad condition and phoned for help but he was dead before paramedics could arrive.

Maradona is survived by five children, including his daughters Dalma, 33, and Ganina, 31, by his first and only wife Claudia Villafane, 58, to whom he was married from 1984 to 2004.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Maradona was one of the two joint winners of the FIFA Player of the 20th Century award.

FILE PHOTO: Argentine star Diego Maradona holds up the World Cup trophy as he is carried off the field after Argentina defeated West Germany 3-2 to win the World Cup soccer championship in Mexico City June 29, 1986. [REUTERS/Gary Hershorn/File Photo/File Photo]

His vision, passing, ball control and dribbling skills were combined with his small stature (1.65 metres (5 ft 5 in), which gave him a low centre of gravity allowing him to manoeuvre better than most other football players.

His presence and leadership on the field had a great effect on his team's general performance, while he would often be singled out by the opposition.

In addition to his creative abilities, he possessed an eye for goal and was known to be a free-kick specialist.

The dead-ball specialist scored over 50 free-kicks in his illustrious career.