The football world is mourning the loss of one of the game’s greatest ever players after Diego Maradona passed away following a heart attack in his home in Buenos Aires at the age of 60.
Maradona, who had turned 60 on 30 October, had surgery on a blood brain clot earlier this month. For a sense of how beloved Maradona was in his native Argentina, the country has declared three days of national mourning following his death.
Renowned for his exceptional individual skill, ethereal close control, dazzling dribbling qualities and seemingly superhuman strength, Maradona was also a leader who inspired previously unfancied and unsuccessful sides to glory.
The crowning moment of his career was captaining Argentina to their second and last World Cup title in 1986 against West Germany, famously beating England along the way in the quarter-finals with two of the most iconic goals in the competition’s history.
However, Maradona also enjoyed considerable success at club level too, most notably with Napoli where he is adored to this day. It was during Maradona’s seven seasons in Naples that the club enjoyed the most successful period in its 94-year history, winning its two Serie A titles, a first and so far only European trophy, the Uefa Cup and a Coppa Italia.
Maradona also spent time with Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors (two spells), Barcelona, Sevilla and Newell’s Old Boys, as well as making 94 international appearances for Argentina. In 2000, he was named Fifa’s Player of the Century alongside the iconic Brazilian Pele.
For all of Maradona’s genius on the pitch, he had numerous issues away from it. Maradona was a self-confessed cocaine addict for over two decades and received a 15-month suspension from football for violating drug rules in 1991. During the 1994 World Cup, meanwhile, he tested positive for the banned substance ephedrine, while he suffered from alcohol dependency and obesity after his retirement in 1997.
It would be impossible to detail all the highs and lows of Maradona’s extraordinary life but here are some of “El Diego’s” most memorable moments.
The Hand of God and the Goal of the Century
Few games in World Cup history can rival Argentina’s clash against England in the 1986 World Cup quarter final for drama. It was a match that had everything and will forever be associated with both Maradona’s genius and his disregard for the game’s rules.
With 51 minutes played, Maradona put Argentina 1-0 up by lobbing England’s veteran goalkeeper Peter Shilton – with his hand. After the ball had looped high into the air, Maradona jumped and flicked the ball over Shilton with his outstretched fist, memorably describing it afterwards as the “Hand of God”.
While England’s players were still gathering themselves, Maradona doubled his and Argentina’s tally, this time with a moment of pure footballing genius, waltzing beyond a sea of white shirts, before rounding Shilton and popping the loose ball into the net. Magical.
World Cup-winning assist for Jorge Burruchaga
The 1986 World Cup was Maradona’s World Cup. He was at the heart of everything Argentina did, scoring five times and providing five further assists as they won the tournament.
In a bid to stifle Maradona’s impact, West Germany coach Franz Beckenbauer instructed his players to double up on Argentina’s No 10. It was a ploy that worked fairly successfully, that is until Maradona, surrounded by three green-shirted opponents, dinked a half-volleyed pass through to Jorge Burruchaga to score the winning goal six minutes from time.
Turning Napoli into winners
Before Maradona showed up in 1984, Napoli’s list of honours read two Coppa Italias and a Serie B title. The club was barely on the radar of Italy’s most successful clubs Juventus, Inter and AC Milan and Maradona was greeted by 75,000 fans at San Paolo stadium upon his unveiling.
Not even Napoli fans, love-drunk on Maradona from the outset, could have envisaged what would come next. In 1986-87, he led the club to its maiden Serie A crown, beating Juve to the title by three points as well as a first Coppa Italia in 11 years, before pipping Milan to the title in 1989-90 by two points.
Sandwiched between those domestic successes was a 5-4 aggregate win over VFB Stuttgart in the Uefa Cup final, Napoli’s first and only European title.
Drug suspension at the 1994 World Cup
Argentina’s World Cup defence at Italia ’90 ended in defeat when they were beaten by West Germany in the final courtesy of a late Andreas Brehme penalty. After winning it in ’86 and finishing runners-up four years later, Maradona will have had ambitions of clinching his second and Argentina’s third World Cup at USA ’94.
It all started well enough, Maradona scoring in a 4-0 thumping of Greece in Argentina’s opening game, however, his infamous crazed, wide-eyed celebration, was a giveaway to the off-field turmoil he was going through. Despite playing in the next game – a 2-1 win over Nigeria – he was sent home in disgrace after testing positive for the banned stimulant, Ephedrine.
It was his final appearance for La Albiceleste.
Run-ins with journalists
Maradona endured a long-running feud with the media, particularly during his time in Naples which is documented superbly in Asif Kapadia’s documentary film Maradona, that chronicles his seven-year spell in Italy.
He also had his issues with the press at home too, so much so that in February 1994 he literally took a shot at them with an air rifle outside his home in Buenos Aires. He was handed a suspended sentence of two years and ten months over the incident in 1998.
That wasn’t the only run-in he had with the media. In 2010, while in charge of the Argentine national team, Maradona ran over a cameraman’s foot with his car as he attempted to escape a media scrum. Maradona reportedly shouted at the stricken journalist: “What an a_____ you are!”
Antics at the 2018 World Cup
Concerns over Maradona’s physical and mental wellbeing were raised during the 2018 World Cup which he attended as an Argentina fan.
After Marcos Rojo had scored a late winning goal against Nigeria, Maradona was filmed celebrating manically before swearing at supporters seated below his press box.
Reports surfaced afterwards that Maradona had to be treated by paramedics inside the stadium after collapsing on a chair, before being transported to a local hospital.
*That* warm-up
We couldn’t end this without including that iconic warm up before the 1989 Uefa Cup semi-final against Bayern Munich. Mesmerising.
Diego Maradona – (1960-2020)
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3fCWoAv
Post a Comment