A former Ireland international footballer who played against Diego Maradona says the Argentinian legend was the best player he's ever seen.
Dave Langan says the football legend's skills were "exceptional" and "unbelievable".
It was announced yesterday that Maradona died at the age of 60.
Three days of national mourning are being marked in Argentina, while many past and present footballers have hailed the Argentinian as one of the greatest players of all time.
Dave Langan had the experience of trying to mark Diego Maradona when the Irish team played Argentina in a friendly at Lansdowne Road in May 1980.
Speaking on Newstalk Breakfast, he said: "Before the match... the manager Eoin Hand said 'I don't want him showing off... if you get a chance to get stuck in and let him know he's going to be in a game'.
"After the first five minutes, the ball broke between the two of us and I smashed into him. And he looked at me as if to say 'is that the best you've got?'
"He was exceptional... the best player I've ever seen. His upper-body strength was just unreal - you couldn't knock him off the ball."
Dave said Maradona's ability when he had the ball was "just unbelievable".
He said he has spoken to many people over the years about Maradona, and they've all come to the same conclusion that he was "the best in our generation".
As well as his extraordinary skills on the pitch, Maradona often received media attention for the various controversies in his personal life and his struggles with substance abuse.
For Dave, however, it's vital to remember Maradona as a great footballer first and foremost.
He said: "He just took the wrong way, which happens, and is a shame. We really want to talk about his football, and not what happened with him."
