Diego Maradona

Argentine association football player and manager (1960–2020)

Diego Armando Maradona (30 October 1960 – 25 November 2020) was an Argentine professional footballer and manager. He was nicknamed El Diez, Pelusa, El Diego and El Pibe de Oro (The Golden Boy). He is widely regarded as one of the best footballers ever, and many people compare him to Brazilian legend Pelé.[7] They were both winners of the FIFA Player of the 20th century award.

Diego Maradona
Diego Maradona 2012 2.jpg
Maradona as manager of Al-Wasl in May 2012
Personal information
Full name Diego Armando Maradona[A]
Date of birth (1960-10-30)30 October 1960
Place of birth Lanús, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Date of death 25 November 2020(2020-11-25) (aged 60)
Place of death Tigre, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Height 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)[2]
Position(s) Attacking midfielder
Second striker[3][4][5][6]
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1976–1981 Argentinos Juniors 167 (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 Textil 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
Honours
Men's football
Representing  Argentina
FIFA World Cup
Winner 1986 Mexico
Runner-up 1990 Italy
Copa América
Third place 1989 Brazil
FIFA U-20 World Cup
Winner 1979 Japan
* 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.

Club CareerEdit

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.[8] This ended up being his last game with the Catalan club.[9]

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 no for sugar. 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 in 1997.

International CareerEdit

He is regarded as one of the best footballers of all time. At age 25, Diego Maradona was the main figure of Argentina's drive to its 1986 World Cup. His great skill and moves reserved him a spot in football history as one of the best players.

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 is called 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.[10][11]

Argentina won the World Cup after defeating West Germany in the final, and Maradona was named as the tournament's best player.[12] The British named him "athlete of the decade."

Personal lifeEdit

Health problemsEdit

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.[13] In 2004, he was placed in intensive care with high blood pressure, respiratory failure, and a lung infection.[14]

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.[15]

DeathEdit

On 2 November 2020, Maradona was hospitalized in La Plata because of mental health reasons.[16] A day later, he had emergency brain surgery to treat a subdural hematoma.[17] He was released on 12 November after successful surgery.[18]

On 25 November 2020, Maradona died of a heart attack at his home in Tigre, Buenos Aires, Argentina at the age of 60.[19]

Club career statisticsEdit

Club Season League Cup[nb 1] Continental[nb 2] Other[nb 3] Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Argentinos Juniors[20][21] 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[20][21] 1981 Primera División 40 28 – – – 40 28
Barcelona[20] 1982–83 La Liga 20 11 5[a] 3 4[b] 5 6[c] 4 35 23
1983–84 16 11 4[d] 1 3[e] 3 – 23 15
Total 36 22 9 4 7 8 6 4 58 38
Napoli[20] 1984–85 Serie A 30 14 6[f] 3 – – 36 17
1985–86 29 11 2[g] 2 – – 31 13
1986–87 29 10 10[h] 7 2[i] 0 – 41 17
1987–88 28 15 9[j] 6 2[k] 0 – 39 21
1988–89 26 9 12[l] 7 12[m] 3 – 50 19
1989–90 28 16 3[n] 2 5[o] 0 – 36 18
1990–91 18 6 3[p] 2 4[q] 2 1[r] 0 26 10
Total 188 81 45 29 25 5 1 0 259 115
Sevilla[20] 1992–93 La Liga 26 5 3[s] 3 – – 29 8
Newell's Old Boys[20][21] 1993–94 Primera División 5 0 – – – 5 0
Boca Juniors[20][21] 1995–96 24 5 – – – 24 5
1996–97 1 0 – – 1[t] 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

  1. ↑ Appearances in the 1982–83 Copa del Rey
  2. ↑ Appearances in the 1982–83 European Cup Winners' Cup
  3. ↑ Appearances in the 1983 Copa de la Liga
  4. ↑ Appearances in the 1983–84 Copa del Rey
  5. ↑ Appearances in the 1983–84 European Cup Winners' Cup
  6. ↑ Appearances in the 1984–85 Coppa Italia
  7. ↑ Appearances in the 1985–86 Coppa Italia
  8. ↑ Appearances in the 1986–87 Coppa Italia
  9. ↑ Appearances in the 1986–87 UEFA Cup
  10. ↑ Appearances in the 1987–88 Coppa Italia
  11. ↑ Appearances in the 1987–88 European Cup
  12. ↑ Appearances in the 1988–89 Coppa Italia
  13. ↑ Appearances in the 1988–89 UEFA Cup
  14. ↑ Appearances in the 1989–90 Coppa Italia
  15. ↑ Appearances in the 1989–90 UEFA Cup
  16. ↑ Appearances in the 1990–91 Coppa Italia
  17. ↑ Appearances in the 1990–91 European Cup
  18. ↑ Appearance in the 1990 Supercoppa Italiana
  19. ↑ Appearances in the 1992–93 Copa del Rey
  20. ↑ Appearance in the 1997 Supercopa Libertadores
  1. ↑ Includes Copa del Rey and Coppa Italia
  2. ↑ Includes European Cup Winners' Cup, UEFA Cup, and European Cup
  3. ↑ Includes Copa de la Liga, Supercoppa Italiana, and Supercopa Libertadores

International career statisticsEdit

[22]

Argentina national team
YearAppsGoals
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

NotesEdit

  1. ↑ According to FC Barcelona's official website, his surname is the single "Maradona", in accordance with Argentine customs.[1]

ReferencesEdit

  1. ↑ "Profile: Diego Armando Maradona". FC Barcelona. Archived from the original on 9 February 2017. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  2. ↑ "Diego Maradona: Profile". worldfootball.net. HEIM:SPIEL. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  3. ↑ Maradona tricks and skills videos of the best soccer, football players ever Archived 2012-06-15 at the Wayback Machine. Football-tricks.com. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  4. ↑ Diego Maradona dominated 1986 World Cup after position switch – Jonathan Wilson – SI.com. Sportsillustrated.cnn.com (27 May 2010). Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  5. ↑ Diego Maradona: ‘The Soccer Guru’ Archived 2 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine. The Viewspaper (25 June 2010). Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  6. ↑ Diego Maradona – Profile of Soccer Player Diego Maradona. Worldsoccer.about.com. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  7. ↑ "Pele vs. Maradona : A Hot Discussion on Who Was Greater of the Two". Bleacher Report. 16 September 2010. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  8. ↑ "Scott Murray - The Joy of Six: hot football funks, from Diego Maradona to Graeme Souness". the Guardian. 2008-12-05. Retrieved 2021-02-26.
  9. ↑ "How The 'Butcher of Bilbao' Almost Ended Diego Maradona's Career". www.vice.com. Retrieved 2021-02-26.
  10. ↑ "1986 World Cup: The Diego Maradona show". CBC Sports. 21 November 2009.
  11. ↑ "Top 10 World Cup goals". The Telegraph. 2009-02-12. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
  12. ↑ "Diego Maradona's Hand of God Soccer Goal". LiveAbout. 26 May 2019. Retrieved 2021-05-05.
  13. ↑ "Maradona 'stable' in intensive care". the Guardian. 2004-04-19. Retrieved 2021-05-05.
  14. ↑ "Maradona in intensive care". BBC News. 2004-04-28. Retrieved 2021-05-05.
  15. ↑ "Maradona has surgery on stomach". BBC News. 2005-03-06. Retrieved 2021-05-05.
  16. ↑ Rey, Deborah; McStay, Kirsten (3 November 2020). "Football legend Diego Maradona admitted to hospital with signs of depression". Daily Record. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  17. ↑ "Argentina great Maradona to have emergency brain surgery". ESPN. 3 November 2020. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  18. ↑ CNN, Tatiana Arias and Hugo Correa. "Diego Maradona discharged from clinic following successful brain surgery". CNN. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  19. ↑ "Diego Maradona: Argentina legend dies aged 60". BBC News. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 20.4 20.5 20.6 De Calò, Alessandro (2011). Il calcio di Maradona ai raggi X (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. pp. 94–95.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 "Diego Armando Maradona – Goals in Argentina League". RSSSF.
  22. ↑ "Diego Armando Maradona - International Appearances". www.rsssf.com.
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