Maradona

Lore & Background

Maradona was seen as an advanced playmaker who operated in the classic number 10 position. He was known for his vision, passing, ball control, and dribbling skill, and was known as a free kick specialist. His small stature gave him a low centre of gravity and allowed him to manoeuvre better than most other players. His presence and leadership on the field had a great effect on his team's performance, and he was given the nickname El Pibe de Oro ('The Golden Boy').

In Their Own Story

The stadium in Mexico City hummed like a living thing. Maradona stood in the centre circle, hands on his hips, watching the English defenders line up in a wall of red and white. The score was 1-1. He could feel the noise pressing against his eardrums, forty thousand voices asking the same question without words. He tapped the ball to Caniggia, watched it skip, and then — as if the match had simply paused — he turned and began to run. Beardsley. Reid. Butcher. The crowd's roar shifted from a shout to a howl. He cut inside, his left foot dragging the ball like a thread through a needle's eye, and placed it low, past Shilton's outstretched hand, into the corner. He did not celebrate. He simply walked back to the centre circle, hands on his hips again, as if to say: *I told you. I told you all along.*

Reader's Guide

Maradona played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell's Old Boys during his club career. He led Napoli to their first Serie A league title, and their second three years later; he was later banned from the club for taking cocaine. He was the first player to set the world record transfer fee twice: in 1982 when he transferred to Barcelona for £5 million, and in 1984 when he moved to Napoli for £6.9 million. In his international career with Argentina, Maradona earned 91 caps and scored 34 goals. He played in four editions of the FIFA World Cup, including the 1986 World Cup, where he led Argentina to victory as captain and won the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player. In the 1986 World Cup quarter final, he scored both goals in a 2–1 victory over England. His first goal was an unpenalized handling foul known as the 'Hand of God', while his second goal came after a 60-metre (66 yd) dribble past five England players; it was voted 'Goal of the Century' by FIFA.com voters in 2002. Maradona became the manager of the Argentina national team in November 2008, and departed after the 2010 World Cup. He coached the United Arab Emirates (UAE) club Al Wasl during the 2011–12 season, and was the chairman of the Belarusian club Dynamo Brest for several months in 2018. He also coached the UAE club Fujairah (2017–2018), the Mexican club Dorados (2018–2019) and the Argentine club Gimnasia de La Plata (2019–2020). Maradona died on 25 November 2020.

Did You Know?

• Maradona made his professional debut for Argentinos Juniors on 20 October 1976, ten days before his 16th birthday.
• He scored both goals in the 1986 World Cup quarter final against England, including the 'Hand of God' goal and the 'Goal of the Century'.
• Maradona was the first player to set the world record transfer fee twice: in 1982 and 1984.
• He led Napoli to their first Serie A league title and their second three years later.