Diego Maradona has died at the age of 60 after reportedly suffering a cardiac arrest.
Maradona had an operation for a blood clot on the brain earlier in November and was understood to be recovering at home.
The football icon won the World Cup with Argentina in 1986 and two Serie A titles at Napoli. He also played for Boca Juniors and Barcelona during the height of his career and managed his country for two years.
Earlier this month he was admitted to an alcohol recovery clinic in Buenos Aires. He struggled with substance abuse for much of his playing career and into retirement.
Maradona started his career at Argentinos in the mid-‘70s, before moving to Boca Juniors. He earned his switch to Europe in 1982 when Barcelona snapped up the forward, but after two years was sold to Napoli.
It was in Italy where Maradona truly made his name. Having arrived at a club languishing in Serie A, the diminutive playmaker led the Italian side to two league titles and the 1987 Coppa Italia. He would go on to score in the first leg of Napoli’s 1989 UEFA Cup final victory over Stuttgart.
During this time he also became a national sensation back in Argentina. Never too far from controversy, his infamous ‘Hand of God‘ goal against England made him public enemy No 1 among English football fans, yet only served to further his legendary status at home.
Speaking about the goal last year, Maradona said: “I knew it was my hand. It wasn’t my plan but the action happened so fast that the linesman didn’t see me putting my hand in. The referee looked at me and he said: ‘Goal.’
“It was a nice feeling like some sort of symbolic revenge against the English.”
Just eight years after leading his country to World Cup glory in 1986, and having inflamed the footballing passions of one of Italy’s most deprived cities, Maradona failed a drugs test at USA ’94 and was sent home in disgrace.
Drugs increasingly affected his playing career and he eventually retired back at Boca in 1997.
A career in management didn’t seem to appeal to the national icon until the Argentine FA brought him back into the fold in 2008. Maradona led Argentina to the 2010 World Cup, where they crashed out 4-0 to Germany in the quarter-finals.
After his stint as national head coach he went on to manage twice in the UAE, in 2018 was appointed Dorados head coach in Mexico and most recently was in charge of Gimnasia in his native Argentina.
In a statement on 4 November, Maradona’s doctor Leopoldo Luque confirmed the legend had undergone surgery.
“This chronic subdural hematoma was successfully evacuated,” he said. “Diego tolerated the surgery very well. He is awake. Everything is fine.”
In his last interview, conducted on his 60th birthday with Argentine outlet Clarin, Maradona spoke about his hope that
“My wish is that this pandemic will pass as soon as possible and that my Argentina can move forward,” he said.
“I want all Argentines to be well. We have a beautiful country and I trust that our president will be able to get us out of this situation. I feel very sorry when I see boys who don’t have enough to eat, I know what it’s like to go hungry, I know the feeling in your stomach when you don’t eat for several days and that can’t happen in my country. That’s my wish, to see Argentines happy, with work and eating every day.”
Diego Maradona honours
Boca Juniors
- Argentine title: 1981 Metropolitano
Barcelona
- Copa del Rey: 1983
- Copa de la Liga: 1983
- Supercopa de Espana: 1983
Napoli
- Serie A: 1987, 1990
- Coppa Italia: 1987
- UEFA Cup: 1989
- Suppercoppa: 1990
Argentina:
- World Cup: 1986
More to follow…
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/2KvlFB1
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