Such was how much he packed into it. And such was his impact that Argentina had three days' mourning.

That impact reached all the way to Canberra where his mate Gaby Wilk watched the funeral online, having been woken up in the middle of the night a day earlier to be told of Maradona's death from a heart attack.

He saw one million people lining the streets as they came out to say goodbye.

The former Cooma coach had known the great for 48 years - first meeting as 12-year-olds at a training camp for an Argentina junior national squad.

Just four years later, Maradona made his professional debut.

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Wilk spent three days in Sydney in the Argentinian camp with Maradona back in 1993 when the South American team was in town for a World Cup qualifier against the Socceroos.

While Wilk celebrated his 60^th birthday on Saturday, he was sad for the loss of his friend, but glad for the joy one of the world's greatest ever soccer players had given him.

The pair kept in touch over the years, with Wilk's best friend Pedro Magallanes - a former teammate of Maradona's at Argentinos Juniors, where the World Cup hero played his first senior game.

"It's very sad you know. The whole country [of Argentina] is very sad, nobody can believe it," Wilk said.

"He dies 60 years' old. For us it's maybe 120, 100 years' old. The life he had.

"One day for Maradona is three days for us. This is the truth. It's unbelievable.

"His life was 100 per cent all the time ... but he's a very nice man.

"The only thing you can say is thank you to him for all the happiness he gave to us. And thank you for being born in Argentina."

Wilk grew up in Quilmes and later played professionally for the Buenos Aires club.

He got picked for an under-12s squad for Argentina, where he met Maradona.

"I played against him when I was very young one or two times and after [that] I trained one or two times for the youth national team in Argentina, where 40-50 players train there," Wilk said.

"And after cutting to 20 players I got cut off, but I trained two or three times with him."

While Wilk didn't make the final squad, Maradona certainly did and just a few years later was embarking on his professional career which included stints at Barcelona and Napoli - and of course leading Argentina to the 1986 World Cup.

Wilk took a different path and came to Australia to play for Inter Monaro in the NSW Super League in 1983.

Almost 40 years later he's still here.

He made the short trip up the Hume Highway in '93 when Maradona was in town and has pictures of not only himself with the little magician, but his kids as well.

Wilk last saw the former Argentina captain and coach in March last year, when he went to watch the he was managing at the time - Gimnasia de La Plata.

He recalled how Maradona was blown away by Australia - mainly because he could walk the streets here - unlike in his home country or even in Napoli where he won the Italian club both of their Serie A titles.

"In '93 when he came to Australia, I spent three days with him in Sydney and Coogee Beach in the hotel," Wilk said.

"When I see him for the first time in Sydney and I say, 'Hello, how are you?'

"And he says, 'Long time no see', and we start talking and he says, 'Australia's nice ... I can walk in the street'.

"In Italy he can't do this or in Argentina."