Leopoldo Luque, a football player and World Cup winner is dead. The Argentine died on Monday after contracting COVID-19 over the festive period. – By Madellene Kalunda.
He died of pneumonia, which was triggered by the coronavirus while receiving treatment in hospital.
Luque was a striker for Argentina. A side that won their first World Cup at home in 1978 owing to his crucial goals.
He was an integral member of the 1978 team, scoring four goals.
He scored the first goal in the 2-1 opening win over Hungary and twice in the 6-0 win over Peru, which drove them to the final.
He won 5 titles at Argentine giants River Plate and scored 84 goals in 207 games.
In total, Luque scored 21 goals on 43 appearances for the national team. He was also the top scorer at the 1975 Copa America.
Leopoldo Luque was a coach in Mendoza, which was his hometown.
His death comes three months after that of his former teammate, Diego Maradona.
