Maradona laid to rest

Football legend Diego Maradona has been laid to rest in a private ceremony on Thursday.

Around two dozen relatives and close friends attended the final ceremony on Thursday, reported BBC.

The coffin with the remains of late Argentine football legend Diego Armando Maradona is carried by his family and friends at the Jardin Bella Vista cemetery, in Buenos Aires. Photo: Reuters

Earlier thousands of fans lined the street of Argentine capital Buenos Aires to pay their respects, with many weeping, blowing kisses and praying as they filed past his coffin.

Football legend Diego Maradona dies

One of the greatest footballers of all time, the World Cup winner died of a heart attack on Wednesday aged 60, sparking mourning around the world.

His death triggered mourning around the world but nowhere was it felt more fiercely than in a country that saw him as a national hero.

Maradona's coffin - draped in Argentina's national flag and football shirt, bearing his trademark number 10 on the back - was on public display at the presidential palace on Thursday.

The hearse carrying the casket of soccer legend Diego Maradona drives to the cemetery in Buenos Aires, Argentina, November 26, 2020/Reuters.

By mid-afternoon queues stretched back for more than a kilometre, and police clashed with mourners as they tried to close off the palace in anticipation of the wake scheduled for 16:00 local time (19:00 GMT).

There were reports of tear gas and rubber bullets being used as officers in riot gear struggled to hold back the crowd.