Diego Armando Maradona is one of the greatest footballer of all time. It’s impossible you ask about him and someone doesn’t know what you are talking about. His skill is universally appreciated and the way he was decisive every single game he played, had never been seen before. He made his debut when was only 16 and throughout his professional career he played 692 official games scoring 352 goals. He played 90 games for the Argentine National Team and scored 33 goals, 8 of them in World cups.
1969 – 1981 Argentinos Jrs
Diego Armando Maradona was born on October 30, 1960, in Villa Fiorito, a poor province of Buenos Aires. Diego was one boy in thousands, using football as an escape from poverty. Anyway it was clear that boy was special and have a genius for football. His first team was called Estrella Roja (Red Star) and was coached by his father. One of the players was Gregorio "El Goyo" Carrizo, a Maradona friend, who played in the lower divisions of Argentinos Juniors, and who helped Diego to be obtain a test in the club.
A very young Maradona
With only 14 years of age, he astounded the crowd at his first game in youth team and gained respect as a player despite of his age. At 16 he made his debut in the first division of the club and soon after he scored his first goal against San Lorenzo . He played for Argentinos Juniors five seasons, playing 166 games and scoring 115 goals.
Maradona in Argentinos Jr
1981 – 1982 Boca Juniors
In 1981 he signed for the biggest club in Argentine, Boca Juniors, for the princely sum, at the time, of £1 million. He realized so one of his dreams: play in Boca Jr. Maradona started very well scoring in his first game two goals against Talleres de Cordoba. Thanks to his class the team won the national championship.
Maradona in 1981-82
1982 – 1984 Barcelona
Diego was in that period the most interesting young player of all the World and soon all the greatest European clubs challenged to sign him. At the end won Barcelona that bought him for a record fee of £5 million. Although he helped Barcelona to win their national cup competition, his performances didn’t get on too well there especially for repeating accident: in the first season he got a bout of hepatitis, then a crazy tackle by defender Andoni Goikoetxea that cost to Maradona the loss of 30% of ankle mobility.
The Goikoetxea tackle
Maradona wasn’t happy in that period also for critics he got by fans and club after the huge brawl he provoked in a game where he met again Goikoetxea.
The brawl with Goikoetxea
In short his first experience in Europe was unsatisfying. Moreover seems he has been introduced to cocaine in this period in Barcelona. Anyway was clear that for Maradona there was no future in Spain.
With Barcelona’s shirt
1984 – 1991 Napoli
In 1984, southern Italian club Napoli made Barcelona an offer they couldn’t refuse: £6.9 million. With Maradona, the club finally over-took their northern rivals and won the first title of its history in 1987. In Italy Maradona spent the best moments of his career leading the team to successes that before the fans could only imagine. For this reason the city was at his feet and considered him as a God.
A little chapel in a street of Naples
In 1989 Diego won the UEFA Cup winning the final against Stuttgart and the following year he won again the championship title. Anyway his career was in a sad decline as he was suffocated by Naples’ love and oppressed by some troubles with the club: often he missed the trainings and was surprised in nightclubs. One of most famous scandals involved him in an illegitimate child that he refused to recognize with DNA test. Besides he continued to assume cocaine supplied by Naples Mafia. This way of life conducted him in 1991 to a prohibition of 15 months, for failing drugs controls during a match against Bari. This episode can be considered the end of the career of Maradona.
Maradona in Naples
Far to Naples
In1992 he left Naples trying to came back into the fields playing in Sevilla but this experience was brief and unsuccesfull. In 1993 he came back in Argentine where he started his career signing for Newell's Old Boys team but also in this case was a total failure. Maradona spent the years from 1993 to 1995 trying to come off drugs and he risked his life more times. In 1995 he returned to play in his loved Boca Jr and even if slow and fatted, he amused fans with his great ball technique. After two season he played his first match against the rivals River Plate in 1997. On November 10, 2001 he had a farewell game played at “la Bombonera”, the Boca Juniors stadium crowded by 60,000 spectators. The game was played between a mixed team or Argentine players and a "Stars" team with international players. Maradona scored 2 penalty goals in the match. Among the guest players were Francescoli, Riquelme, Matthaus, Stoichkov, Suker, Cantona, Higuita.
Before the start of the game, Maradona entered the field with his daughters, Dalma and Giannina and with one of his nephews. The multitude greeted their idol loudly screaming "Diego, Diego" in honor and gratefulness for his amazing career. The event finished with Maradona's tears.
The farewell match
With National team
Maradona is maybe more famous for playing for Argentine than for a club team. He made Argentine one of the greatest teams ever, during the 80’s. In 1977, he debuted with the National Team against Hungary but coach Menotti excluded him from the team of 1978 World Cup, arguing lack of experience. In the Juvenile World Cup held in Japan in 1979, Maradona leaded as captain the team to the final win in Tokyo. It was clear that Maradona was a world class player.
The final against USSR in Tokio
In 1982 he played his first World Cup in Spain but he wasn’t so decisive: he played in all five matches without being substituted, scored twice against Hungary, but was sent off in the game lost against Brazil for a bad foul.
Maradona sent off in 1982 World Cup
Anyway it’s in the following 1986 World Cup that Maradona enters into the legend. He captained his country in every game until the final won 3-2 against West Germany. Maradona scored five goals in the tournament and particularly two are the most famous ever scored against England: the first one was very questioned by the famous hand-touch later called "La Mano de Dios" (God's Hand) where Maradona used his hand to score, while the second goal is considered the “goal of the century”. Diego took the ball behind the midfield line and with 11 touches he avoided all the English players who were trying to stop him: Glenn Hoddle, Peter Reid, Kenny Sansom, Terry Butcher, Terry Fenwick and goalkeeper Peter Shilton. A stunning goal.
The God’s hand
The goal of the century
These two goals seems to represent clearly this great player: “la Mano de Dios” for his malice, the second one for his class.
In the next World Cup in 1990, Maradona wasn’t at his best due to an ankle injury and the previous use of drugs which he tried to control in a detoxification clinic in Cuba. Anyway he reached again the final with West Germany defeating the home team Italy but this time Germans won thanks to a controversial penalty. At the end of the match Maradona broke in tears and later he accused Italy and FIFA to have helped Germany to win the title.
The 1990 World Cup final
In 1993, the coach Alfio Basile included him in the national team's roster and he played the qualifying match for the 1994 World Cup in USA In the game against Greece, Maradona scored a stunning goal after an excellent Argentine combination.
The goal against Greece
In the following game Argentine won 2-1 against Nigeria and Diego seemed born again.But at the end of the match he was selected to take the anti-doping test that revealed Maradona was positive, so he was banned from the Championship. This was the last match with his beloved Argentine.
