SSC Napoli, the club at which Diego Maradona spent the most illustrious years of his domestic playing career, have likened the "devastating blow" of losing the maverick of football as "like a boxer who has been knocked out".
READ MORE: Diego Maradona dead: Argentinian football legend passes away aged 60
Captain of the 1986 World Cup winning team Maradona passed away aged 60 at home in Tigre, north of his hometown Buenos Aires, on Wednesday after suffering a fatal heart attack.
Napoli, the club at which the number ten enjoyed the most fruitful years of his domestic playing career, described the loss as a "devastating blow" for both the city of Naples and the club.
"We are in mourning," said club spokesman Nicola Lombardo, Reuters reported. "We feel like a boxer who has been knocked out. We are in shock."
Maradona won two Serie A titles and a Coppa Italia in the late 1980s and early 90s with the Neapolitan club, including a league and cup double, as well as his only European trophy with the UEFA Cup.