Fidel Castro: Maradona mourns the death of his "second father"

The football star Diego Maradona cried upon learning of the death of Cuban leader Fidel Castro, "the greatest" and like "a second father" to him, he declared.

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"I was called from Buenos Aires and it was very shocking. I burst into tears because it felt like losing a second father," said 'Pelusa' to journalists from his box at the Zagreb Arena, where he is attending the final of the Davis Cup between Croatia and Argentina this weekend.

"The day is awful. I was informed that the greatest, without a doubt, Fidel Castro has passed away," he mourned.

Maradona announced that he will continue the rest of the weekend in Zagreb to watch the Davis Cup final and will then travel to Havana.

"I want to be with Raúl (Castro), be with the children, and with the Cuban people, who have given me so much. And say goodbye to Fidel, my friend. They are going to cremate him. I want to express all the gratitude I have, from my whole life," he explained.

"He talked to me a lot about drugs, about recovery, what I could do," he remembered emotionally, just minutes before the start of the doubles match in the Davis Cup final.

Maradona had a close friendship with Fidel Castro, whose image he has tattooed on one of his calves.

Their relationship dates back to the 1980s, but the legendary Argentine footballer is especially grateful for his help in entering a Cuban clinic in 2000 to overcome his addictions.

Maradona has defended the Cuban revolution on numerous occasions and in addition to Fidel's face, he has Che Guevara's face tattooed on his arm.