Diego Maradona

There are certain people who leave a mark such that even after they have stopped playing the game, they are always remembered for times to come. Apart from their having such an impact, what seems to be important is the effect they still have on people. Diego Maradona is a name that has been immortalized in football history, not only for the gifted player that he was, but also for his knack of finding himself in precarious situations. The story started on October 30th, 1960 of a boy born to a poor family, raised in Villa Fiorito, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires. He was the third child among five in all. Diego started showing prodigious and wizardly skills at the game of football at the age of 10.

At the age of sixteen, Maradona made his debut for the prestigious Argentinean club Argentinos Juniours but was transferred to the club Boca Juniors in 1981 for 1m pounds. He was the youngest player on the national team and was given the title of South American Player of the Year in 1979 for leading Argentina to win the Junior World Cup and thereafter officially became the national sporting star. In 1982 he was transferred to the Spanish club Barcelona for a record $7.7m. Maradona got into disputes with the club’s directors and he also suffered from a broken leg and hepatitis. But he managed to remain the star footballer for the club with sheer willingness and courage and led the club to win Spain’s annual national cup competition known as Copa del Ray. He was then sold to the Italian club Napoli in 1984 for another record $12million. It was during this time that he played some of the most memorable football of his career and led Napoli to victory in the Italian League of 1986/87.

In the 1986 FIFA World Cup, Maradona captained the winning team Argentina which defeated West Germany in the final. During this World Cup Maradona left an indelible mark on sporting history because of two goals he scored in the quarter-final match against England. The first goal was struck by Maradona with his hand, a foul which the referee failed to notice and the goal stood valid, much to the ire of the English. The replay showed Maradona using his hand, and upon this Maradona commented, “A little with the head of Maradona, and a little with the hand of God”; this goal came to be known as the “Hand of God”. The second goal was a phenomenal one. Maradona controlled the ball for over half the field, and kicked a sixty meter weave across six English players. This goal was voted as the Goal of the Century by FIFA. He also won the title of the tournament’s best player and received the Golden Ball.

All the while he was in Italy, Maradona’s personal life remained rather controversial as his cocaine abuse continued and he was fined $70,000 for being absent from games and practices. There were also scandalous reports of him having an illegitimate son and friendship with the Camorra. In 1989 Maradona married his childhood sweetheart Claudia Villafane in an ostentatious ceremony, and he had two daughters of the marriage. In 1991, Maradona was suspended from playing football for possession of cocaine. By the time his suspension was over, he was 20 pounds overweight and faced charges of cocaine possession in Argentina. He had to leave Napoli, and subsequently he played with a few other clubs - Seville, Newell’s Old Boys and returned to Boca Juniors for two years before he was tested for drug abuse and yet again found to be taking cocaine and faced a shameful third suspension in 1994.

He captained the Argentinean team in the 1990 World Cup and though he though he could not repeat the brilliance of 1986, he managed to take Argentina to the final. In the 1994 World Cup, he was sent home after having played hardly two games because he failed a drug test for ephedrine doping.

In 1997, Maradona announced his retirement by saying that big people were trying to frame him for drug abuse and that he was doing it to protect himself and his family. But again in 2000, he was in the news because his drug abuse was causing him heart problems. At present, Maradona is coaching the Argentinean team which is playing in the ongoing World Cup.

There would be little or no dispute at all about the fact that Maradona was the best footballer in the world, alongside Pele perhaps.

He was one of the very few players who had the ability to read the game, adapt to it, and manipulate it to his favour with such ease. He was not a very tall man, but never lacked physical competitiveness. Some even said he had the body of a rugby player, but contrary to the brutish ways of rugby, Maradona’s ball handling was layered with finesse. His cocaine addiction cost him a lot not only in terms of his health, but also his reputation and his game. But regardless of all the controversy, Maradona was the hero of the poor Argentinean masses. He made them believe that they could lead a better life. His legacy contains not only some of the world’s most memorable football, but also a hope to those who possess talent, zeal and a willingness to be the best they can.