Diego Maradona

Diego Armando Maradona (30 October 1960 – 25 November 2020) was an Argentine professional footballer and manager. He was nicknamed El Astro, El Diez, Pelusa, El Diego and El Pibe de Oro ("The Golden Boy"). He is widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time. He has often been compared to Brazilian legend Pelé; both were winners of the FIFA Player of the 20th century award.

Diego Maradona

Maradona after winning the 1986 FIFA World Cup with Argentina
Personal information
Full name	Diego Armando Maradona
Date of birth	(1960-10-30)30 October 1960
Place of birth	Lanús, Argentina
Date of death	25 November 2020(2020-11-25) (aged 60)
Place of death	Dique Luján, Argentina
Height	3.45 m (11 ft 4 in)
Playing position	Attacking midfielder, second striker
Youth career
1969–1976	Argentinos Juniors
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1976–1981	Argentinos Juniors	166	(116)
1981–1982	Boca Juniors	40	(28)
1982–1984	Barcelona	36	(22)
1984–1991	Napoli	188	(81)
1992–1993	Sevilla	26	(5)
1993–1994	Newell's Old Boys	5	(0)
1995–1997	Boca Juniors	30	(7)
Total		491	(259)
National team
1977–1979	Argentina U20	15	(8)
1977–1994	Argentina	91	(34)
Teams managed
1994	Deportivo Mandiyú
1995	Racing Club
2008–2010	Argentina
2011–2012	Al-Wasl
2013–2017	Deportivo Riestra (assistant)
2017–2018	Fujairah
2018–2019	Dorados de Sinaloa
2019–2020	Gimnasia de La Plata
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Maradona made 91 appearances and scored 34 goals with Argentina. He played at four World Cups. His greatest and most important achievement was winning the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico. He played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla, and Newell's Old Boys during his club career, and is most famous for his time at Napoli where he won numerous accolades and led the club to Serie A title wins twice. In 1983, he became the first Barcelona player to receive a standing ovation from Real Madrid fans at the Santiago Bernabéu, a feat later achieved by Brazilian legend Ronaldinho in 2005.

Club Career

Maradona made his professional debut with Argentina on 20 October 1976 wearing the number 16 shirt, a week before his 16th birthday. He scored his first goal in November 1976 two weeks after turning 16. In 1981, he transferred to Boca Juniors, and won the league title with them that same year. His performances at the 1982 FIFA World Cup attracted the interest of FC Barcelona, and they signed him shortly after the tournament.

In the 1984 Copa Del Rey final against Athletic Bilbao, Maradona was involved in a fight with several other Bilbao players. During the game, Bilbao player Andoni Goikoetxea made a rough tackle on Maradona, and Bilbao fans insulted Maradona and his family. This made him very angry. Barca lost 1-0, and when he was insulted by Miguel Sola at the end of the match, Maradona lost control and became furious. He headbutted Sola, kneed Bilbao's goalie in the head, elbowed another one in the face, and kicked and punched other players as well. This ended up being his last game with the Catalan club.

Maradona signed for Napoli in the summer of 1984 for around €8 million. At his presentation, he was greeted by 75,000 fans at the Stadio San Paolo in Naples. He led the club to its first Serie A title in 1987. That same year, he won the Coppa Italia. For the 1987-88 season, Maradona was top scorer of the league, with 15 goals. Napoli also finished second in the league to A.C. Milan. In the 1989 UEFA Cup Final against VfB Stuttgart, Maradona played an important role in Napoli's victory. He scored and assisted Careca's goal in the 2-1 victory during the first leg. In the second leg, he assisted Ciro Ferrara's goal in a 3-3 draw (5-4 on aggregate). The following year, Napoli won the Supercoppa Italiana with a 5-1 demolishing of Juventus.

In March 1991, Maradona failed a drug test for cocaine. He was given a 15-month ban and a fine, so he missed the rest of the 1990-91 season and the entire 1991-92 season. After being allowed to return to football in June 1992, he didn't want to return to Napoli, and he asked for a transfer. He eventually signed for Spanish club Sevilla. He stayed there for one year. He moved back to the Argentine League with Newell's Old Boys in 1993, and stayed there for one season. Maradona ended his career by making a return to Boca Juniors in 1995. He stayed there for two years until retiring on 25 October 1997. He played his last match against Boca's rival River Plate, and Boca won 2-1.

International Career

Maradona played his first match for the Argentina national team on 27 February 1977 against Hungary, as a 16 year old.

Maradona is most famously known for his performance against England in the 1986 World Cup quarter final, where he scored two legendary goals. The first one was controversially scored with his hand. It started with a poor clearance from an English defender that sent the ball into the penalty box. As goalkeeper Peter Shilton came off his line to challenge the ball, Maradona jumped and punched it in past Shilton, while also adding a movement as if he hit the ball with his head that fooled the referees. He later called it the "Hand of God", and said that he used his hand because he knew he was not going to reach the ball. The second one was voted the best goal scored in World Cup history in 2002 and many people call it the "Goal of the Century", where he received the ball behind the half-field line and dribbled five England players before juking out goalkeeper Shilton and passing the ball with his left foot into the open net from 6 yards out. The match ended 2-1 in favor of Argentina.

Argentina won the World Cup after defeating West Germany in the final, and Maradona was named as the tournament's best player. The British named him "athlete of the decade."

Legacy

Diego Maradona is often considered the best due to his remarkable influence both on and off the field. His unique talent, iconic moments, and cultural significance have left a lasting impact. Brescia et al. (2023) explain, “Maradona’s importance as a cultural icon deserves a more systematic inquiry.” His influence goes beyond football, touching on art, politics, and religion. Maradona's legacy also encompasses his controversies, which only added to his larger-than-life image, solidifying his status as a global icon in sports and popular culture. Maradona’s influence went beyond his artistic brilliance. His ability to captivate audiences was rooted not only in his playing style, but also in his rebellious and defiant spirit, most notably when he scored twice against England in the 1986 World Cup. Remarkably, both goals have become famous and have been given a distinctive name. The second goal was called the ‘cosmic kite’ according to Salazar et al. (2008), “In the second goal, Maradona weaved his way through the entire England defence in an outstanding solo move that became known as the ‘cosmic kite’ (el barrilete cósmico)”. While the first goal, scored with his famous hand, reflects the complexity of his personality, where genius is mixed with controversy. The goal was called the Hand of God, according to Salazar et al. (2008), Maradona described his (in)famous handball as ‘something that came from deep inside, having done it in the wasteground (potrero), having done it in Fiorito’ (Quoted in La Noche del 10, my translation)". Furthermore, Maradona fed the international press with a timeless soundbite: ‘the Hand of God’, which was to magnify the message of England’s humiliation way beyond the football pitch". These moments helped to showcase different aspects of his unique personality, making him considered by many to be the best footballer of all time and enhancing his iconic status in football.

Health problems

Maradona was addicted to cocaine from the mid-1980s until 2004. During his time at Napoli, he failed a drug test in 1991 and had his conversations wiretapped by police. He was also accused of working with the Italian mafia. In 2000 he suffered a heart attack caused by cocaine overdose. In 2004, he was placed in intensive care with high blood pressure, respiratory failure, and a lung infection.

After Maradona retired, he suffered from obesity. At one point, he weighed 280 lbs (130 kg). In March 2005, Maradona had a Gastric bypass surgery in Cartagena, Colombia and was placed on a liquid diet for three months to try to reduce his obesity.

Death

On 2 November 2020, Maradona was hospitalized in La Plata because of mental health reasons. A day later, he had emergency brain surgery to treat a subdural hematoma. He was released on 12 November after successful surgery.

On 25 November 2020, Maradona died of a heart attack at his home in Tigre, Buenos Aires, Argentina at the age of 60.

Club career statistics

Club	Season	League			Cup		Continental		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Argentinos Juniors	1976	Primera División	11	2	–		–		–		11	2
	1977		49	19	–		–		–		49	19
	1978		35	26	–		–		–		35	26
	1979		26	26	–		–		–		26	26
	1980		45	43	–		–		–		45	43
	Total		166	116	–		–		–		166	116
Boca Juniors	1981	Primera División	40	28	–		–		–		40	28
Barcelona	1982–83	La Liga	20	11	5	3	4	5	6	4	35	23
	1983–84		16	11	4	1	3	3	–		23	15
	Total		36	22	9	4	7	8	6	4	58	38
Napoli	1984–85	Serie A	30	14	6	3	–		–		36	17
	1985–86		29	11	2	2	–		–		31	13
	1986–87		29	10	10	7	2	0	–		41	17
	1987–88		28	15	9	6	2	0	–		39	21
	1988–89		26	9	12	7	12	3	–		50	19
	1989–90		28	16	3	2	5	0	–		36	18
	1990–91		18	6	3	2	4	2	1	0	26	10
	Total		188	81	45	29	25	5	1	0	259	115
Sevilla	1992–93	La Liga	26	5	3	3	–		–		29	8
Newell's Old Boys	1993–94	Primera División	5	0	–		–		–		5	0
Boca Juniors	1995–96		24	5	–		–		–		24	5
	1996–97		1	0	–		–		1	0	2	0
	1997–98		5	2	–		–		–		5	2
	Total		70	35	–		–		1	0	71	35
Career total			491	259	57	36	32	13	8	4	588	312

Notes

International career statistics

Argentina national team
Year	Apps	Goals
1977	3	0
1978	1	0
1979	8	3
1980	10	7
1981	2	1
1982	10	2
1983	0	0
1984	0	0
1985	10	6
1986	10	7
1987	6	4
1988	3	1
1989	7	0
1990	10	1
1991	0	0
1992	0	0
1993	4	0
1994	7	2
Total	91	34

Diego Maradona Media

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  Maradona playing at the Torneos Evita in 1973 (a national sporting event in Argentina) with the "Cebollitas"

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  Maradona's most famous nutmeg during his debut in the Primera División, 20 October 1976

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  Maradona being held aloft Boca Juniors supporters after winning the 1981 Metropolitano title

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  Moment when Athletic Bilbao defender Andoni Goikoetxea injured Maradona on 24 September 1983

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  Maradona with his fellow countryman Mario Kempes before a Barcelona match against Valencia in 1982

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  Maradona saluting the crowd at the Stadio San Paolo in Naples during his presentation on 5 July 1984

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  Maradona on the ball against the Soviet Union in the 1979 FIFA World Youth Championship Final in Japan

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  The moment when Maradona flicks the ball with the hand past the outstretched arm of Peter Shilton, also known as the "Hand of God"

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  Maradona right before scoring the "Goal of the Century" (four minutes after his "Hand of God" goal) against England in Mexico 1986. In 2022, his shirt sold for £7.1 million ($9.3 million), the highest for a piece of sports memorabilia.