AD10S MARADONA

"happy for having painted one of the most beautiful paintings of all."
         — Francisco Cornejo, the scout who recruited Maradona to Argentinos Junior in 1968

 

Early Life

On 30^th October 1960, Diego Armando Maradona was born in the Argentine town of Lanus in Buenos Aires. He grew up playing football in dusty fields around his locality till a renowned junior scout of Argentinos Junior club Francisco Cornejo found him and took him to the club at the age of eight. Soon he became famous for his wizardry with the ball and debuted for the club in 1976 before he turned 16, making him the youngest player ever in Argentine league. Maradona then joined Boca Juniors in 1981 and scored a brace in his debut for them.

Barcelona Came Calling

After the 1982 World Cup, Spanish giants Barcelona brought him in for a then world record fee of £5mil. Diego had a very successful stint at the Nou Camp, but after a broken ankle in 1983 following a tackle by Goikoetxea of Bilbao, his career was threatened. Diego returned after three months but took time to get back to his level. Maradona scored 38 goals in 58 games for Barca before moving to Napoli for another world record fee of £6.9mil.

Maradona’s Presentation at the Camp Nou

God of Naples

In Naples, Maradona was greeted like a hero in the Stadio San Paolo when he first arrived. Nearly 75,000 people witnessed his presentation. Napoli were not among the elite in Italy before Diego arrived. But Maradona reached the peak of his career in Napoli, captaining them to two Scudetto titles in 1986-87 and in 1989-90. He also won Copa Italia, UEFA Cup, Italian Supercup. Maradona was Napoli’s top scorer with 115 goals till 2017 when Marek Hamsik overtook him. For his tremendous performance, contribution in the Napoli shirt, the number 10 jersey of Napoli was officially retired.

The Former Napoli Captain is Still Considered a God in Naples

End of Club Career

Maradona’s career went down the hill as he failed a drug test for cocaine and was banned for 15 months. He left Napoli in 1992 and joined Sevilla. In 1993, he joined Newell’s Old Boys and returned to Boca Juniors in 1995 before retiring in 1997.

International Career

Maradona’s achievements with the national team is known to all. He made his debut at the age of 16 against Hungary in 1977. He was left out of the World Cup 1978 squad as he was too young. In FIFA Youth Championships 1979 in Japan (Currently FIFA U-20 World Cup), he scored six goals and won the golden ball for being the best player. Argentina won that tournament by beating Soviet Union 3-1. He played in the 1982 World Cup, but his performance was not the best as he was suffering from injuries and opposition players making reckless challenges to stop him.

Maradona’s Skills at the World Cup Mesmerized All

The 1986 World Cup in Mexico is widely regarded as Maradona’s World Cup. He took the tournament to storm with his mesmerizing control of the ball, trickery and dribbling. He scored five, assisted further five and attempted tournament high 90 dribbles. Argentina won the final against West Germany, with Maradona setting up the winning goal. He won the golden ball and became the first player to win golden ball at the Youth Championships and the World Cup. Most famous game of this tournament was their quarter final tie with England. Maradona scored twice in a 2-1 victory. His first goal was the infamous “Hand of God”, whereas his second one, the goal of the 20^th Century, was amazing. Maradona dribbled 60m and left five players bamboozled with his skills before dodging England GK Peter Shilton with a feint and slotting the ball home. This is considered arguably the best individual goal by any player. His 1990 World Cup performance was also not up to the level he showed in 1986. Argentina lost to West Germany in the final. Maradona’s ending to his international career was rather scandalous. He failed a drug test for ephedrine doping and was sent home during the 1994 World Cup. He scored 34 times in 91 appearances for Argentina.

Managerial Career

Diego Maradona managed Argentine National team from 2008 to 2010 and guided them to 2010 quarter finals, where qualification for the finals seemed tough. He was sacked in July 2010 following some dilemma in Argentine board over whether to renew his contract.

Maradona managed many clubs since 1994 Mandiyu, Racing Club, Deportivo Riestra in Argentina, Al Wasl FC, Fujairah in UAE, Doradas in Mexico. His last club was Gimnasia de La Plata, where he was contracted till the end of 2020-21 season.

Famous Players on Maradona

Leo Messi: “Diego is eternal”

Zidane: “Maradona was on another level… He was my idol”

Zico: “I saw Maradona do things that God himself would doubt were possible”

Jose Mourinho: “With him on the ball, you didn’t know where he finished and where the ball started”

Pele: “He is an eternal genius”

Gary Lineker (England player in 1986 World Cup): “When Diego scored the second goal against us, I felt like applauding… He is the greatest player of all time”

Tribute

Diego Maradona passed away on 25^th November 2020 at his home in Tigre, Buenos Aires due to a cardiac arrest. Following his death, footballers, fans all over the world expressed their sorrow and how Diego inspired them to be better players, leaders, humans. Argentine government announced a three-day national mourning period. Lionel Messi, Zinedine Zidane said Diego was their idol growing up. Messi shared a photo of him and Diego and wrote “Diego is eternal”, which is, by no means, an exaggeration. Cristiano Ronaldo addressed Maradona as an ‘unmatched magician’ and said his legacy is ‘boundless’. Former teammate and Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone, Pele all said in public that they couldn’t believe Maradona was no more. Pele tweeted that one day they might play football together in the sky.

Clubs all around the world maintained 1-minute silence before games to pay tribute to this legend. Boca Juniors posted an emotional tribute video in memory of Maradona. Napoli, the club where he lived like a god, in their Europa League tie, prepared Maradona10 jerseys for all players. Napoli president also announced that the name of the San Paolo stadium might be named after the best player in their history, Diego Maradona, soon. Fans in Naples could not enter the San Paolo in the current situation, so they prepared large tifos and banners to show in the stadium. They also gathered round the stadium, chanting his name and used flared to create a ‘wall of fire’ in the city to pay tribute to their footballing god. All schools in Naples were closed on 26^th November to mourn their beloved’s death.

Our Take

Diego Maradona was the best player in his generation, and one of the best ever. His passing created a huge unfillable void in football and left the whole footballing world mourning. His dribbling, touches mesmerized football fans around the world. He was also a true leader. Many shared the opinion that he was the face of revolution and inspiration behind the rise of people from third world. In India, the Mexico World Cup was the first world cup which was broadcasted completely. The Indian generation, who couldn’t watch much of Pele, placed Maradona in their hearts. They followed him as if he was the ‘Pied Piper of Hamelin’. His actions were certainly controversial in a few stages of his life, but his talent, jaw-dropping footballing skills eclipsed this side of his character. Diego Maradona, a true footballing legend, will always remain in our hearts.

Diego Maradona: A Footballing God

Image Courtesy: goal.com