As Diego Maradona died and the world mourned, another football legend fought for his life

As Diego lost his battle for life, Paolo Rossi, who was battling cancer, broke down, writes David Shonfield 

Paolo Rossi shields the ball from Brazil’s Junior during the 1982 World Cup in Spain. Italy won thanks to a hat-trick from Rossi. Picture: Getty

For many people the world seemed to stop when the news broke that The Ten was dead.

El Diego del Pueblo was literally an icon in his home country of Argentina and venerated alongside San Gennaro in his adopted city of Naples half a world away.