Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.
Need to know ~ People
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur ad
Diego Maradona, soccer legend
Diego Maradona, at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico
Source: El Gráfico, Public Domain
Why current?
2020-11-28
On Wednesday, November 25, 2020, millions of soccer fans around the world reacted with shock and sadness to the news that Diego Maradona, the brilliant Argentinian footballer who was named one of soccer’s two best players by FIFA in 2000, had died at the age of 60. According to his spokesperson, Maradona had had a heart attack at his home in Tigre, Argentina. Just two weeks earlier, he had had brain surgery.
Maradona’s career spanned decades and continents, as well as the highs and lows of a life of extraordinary achievement and tragic personal struggle. The contrasts in Maradona’s life seemed to be encapsulated by a single head-spinning span of 4 minutes in the 1986 World Cup quarter final in Mexico. In the match between Argentina and England, Maradona scored two famous goals. For the first, he used his hand to land the ball into the goal, but the referee didn’t see the offense and allowed the point. The opposing team and its fans reacted with outrage. (Maradona would later famously say that the goal was scored “a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God.”) Four minutes later, Maradona scored again, this time using breathtaking skill and raw power to take the ball 70 yards (64 m), past five English players, sweeping it into the net. This is considered by many to be the greatest goal of all time.
Soccer fans the world over were devastated by Maradona’s passing. Through thick and thin, he had remained one of the most beloved players in football history, particularly in his home country of Argentina, where masses took to the streets to cry and grieve. Three days of mourning were declared by the government, as Maradona’s body lay in state at the presidential palace in Buenos Aires. An ocean away, in Naples, Italy – a city where Maradona had spent some of the best years of his career – chanting and singing echoed through the streets as heartbroken fans mourned.
According to friends and fans, Maradona had brought joy to people, both on and off the soccer field. His dazzling skills were one thing. But it was the spirit with which he played and lived that made him a hero.
“When people succeed, it’s thanks to hard work. Luck has nothing to do with it.”
-Diego Maradona
More about Diego Maradona
- Born on October 30, 1960, in Lanús, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- Was only 5 feet 5 inches (1.65 m) tall as an adult.
- Was famous for his ability to maneuver past his rivals, controlling the soccer ball with singular mastery.
- Growing up, Maradona was very poor. He and his family lived in a shack in a part of the city called Villa Fiorito, an area known for violence, drugs, and extreme poverty. Diego was one of seven children.
- Maradona had to help his family make ends meet already at an early age. As a child, he sold scrap items on the streets.
- At the age of three, Maradona got his first soccer ball from his uncle.
- Maradona was eight years old when he tried out for “Cebollitas,” which was one division of the main team called Argentinos Juniors. The trainer was stunned by the young Maradona’s talent – so much so, that he didn’t believe that he was only eight! His family had to prove his age by submitting his identification card. Maradona helped his team win the youth championship in 1974.
- Soon Maradona was promoted to the main team of the Argentinos Juniors. He became their most prolific scorer.
- After leading his team to win the World Youth Championship final in 1979, he joined another team, the Boca Juniors. Thanks to his unparalleled prowess on the field, the club won the Argentina Primera División Metropolitano in 1982.
- In that year, Barcelona lured the just 21-year-old Maradona to Spain with a large offer. Meanwhile, his own country pleaded for his return.
- Maradona struggled during the two years he spent in Spain. He started to use cocaine and to drink heavily. He got into conflicts with others and began to have money problems, despite his big salary. At the end of the two years, he transferred to Napoli.
- In Naples, Maradona reached new heights. He led his team to victory upon victory. The people of Naples revered him as a god. Behind the scenes, though, Maradona continued to struggle with drug addiction and a turbulent personal life.
- Maradona failed a drug test in 1992, forcing him to leave Napoli. He was banned from football for 15 months. A few years later, he was expelled from World Cup soccer – again for drug abuse. This was in 1994, shortly before he would have captained his Argentinian team in the World Cup.
- After retiring from the sport entirely in 1997, Maradona’s body seemed to give way to the physical strain it had endured for decades on the football field. He gained weight, continued to use cocaine, and suffered a heart attack in 2004.
- In the last 12 years of his life, Maradona worked as a coach and manager for a number of different teams. His record was spotty. But somehow, he maintained his god-like status with fans around the world, and especially with Argentinians. A teammate from earlier days said that Diego gave people inspiration and hope through the passion he put into his performance on the football field, and this was why he remained “a divine figure.”
Sources: Welch, Julie, The Guardian, “Diego Maradona Orbituary,” https://www.theguardian.com/diego-maradona-obituary, November 25, 2020; Longman, Jeré, The New York Times, “Diego Maradona, One of Soccer’s Greatest Players, Is Dead at 60,” https://www.nytimes.com/diego-maradona-dead.html, November 25, 2020; Daily News Egypt, “Maradona: Timeline of Argentine football legend’s life,” https://dailynewsegypt.com/maradona-timeline; November 25, 2020.