'One of the classiest things you will ever see': All Blacks pay tribute to Diego Maradona during haka

The All Blacks have been praised for their touching tribute to the late Diego Maradona during their haka ahead of their Tri-Nations clash against Los Pumas in Newcastle.

Maradona, regarded as one of the best football players of all-time and considered an icon in his native Argentina, died earlier this week due to a heart attack at the age of 60.

The All Blacks paid tribute to his passing during their traditional pre-match haka, with captain Sam Cane advancing to the halfway line to lay down an All Blacks jersey with ‘Maradona 10’ printed on the back in front of the Argentine team.

One tactic the All Blacks must use against Los Pumas | Aotearoa Rugby Pod

One tactic the All Blacks must use against Los Pumas | Aotearoa Rugby Pod

Fans were quick to take to Twitter to praise the All Blacks for their acknowledgement of Maradona’s death.

https://twitter.com/AllBlacks/status/1332612973165043713

One of the classiest things you will ever see on a sporting field #ARGvNZL pic.twitter.com/Pu8gF35QrO

— Rohanc (@rohancct) November 28, 2020

Nice touch by @AllBlacks, laying out a Maradona 10 NZ shirt before the haka. Fingers crossed @lospumas continue their unbeaten run. #TriNations2020 #ARGvNZL

— Ant Meals (@antmeals) November 28, 2020

?Respect?

The All Blacks present Argentina with a special signed New Zealand jersey in honour of the football legend.

LIVE BLOG ?? https://t.co/kkFuftjibq#9WWOS #ARGvNZL pic.twitter.com/W42ELjzcFZ

— Wide World of Sports (@wwos) November 28, 2020

#ARGvNZL #D10SEterno pic.twitter.com/RkBVnSTi9G

— Sergio Andueza (@AnduezaSergio) November 28, 2020

Brilliant show of respect from @AllBlacks laying down a Maradona jersey before the game. Kudos!#ARGvNZL
#ARGvNZL #Rugby pic.twitter.com/xoSc11XxQc

— Paul Toonen (@paultzelluf) November 28, 2020

The @AllBlacks have honoured Diego Maradona ahead of the haka, presenting a special No.10 jersey ??? #ARGvNZL pic.twitter.com/Bx3EuZneqP

— ESPN Scrum (@espnscrum) November 28, 2020

Nice touch @AllBlacks #Maradona #ARGvNZL pic.twitter.com/Au1wOGNSvK

— Enge Gray (@Enge21) November 28, 2020

The death has been hard felt in Argentina, with the nation going into three days of mourning following his passing on Wednesday.

Cane had labelled Maradona as a God-like figure earlier in the week, while Argentina head coach Mario Ledesma called upon his squad to use his passing as extra motivation as Los Pumas aim to secure an unprecedented second straight win over the All Blacks.

“He had an attraction, like the world stopped when he was there,” Ledesma said.

“It was like magic and he was an example of how you should play for this jersey, and to be fair he was passionate about every team. He would go and watch tennis, hockey, rugby, football, everything.

“Whenever there was an Argentinian jersey he was there and he united people in Argentina, and in Argentina sometimes it’s difficult to unite people who think different.”