Maradona

Diego Armando Maradona (30 October 1960 – 25 November 2020) was an Argentine footballer and manager. He is considered one of the sport's all-time greats and shared the FIFA Player of the Century award with Pelé. Maradona was a classic number 10, an advanced playmaker known for his vision, passing, ball control, and dribbling. He was also a free-kick specialist.

His small stature gave him a low center of gravity, helping him maneuver better than most. His leadership and presence on the pitch greatly influenced his team's performance, earning him the nickname "El Pibe de Oro" ("The Golden Boy"). During his club career, he played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla, and Newell's Old Boys. At Napoli, he led the club to its first Serie A title and a second three years later; he was later banned from the club for cocaine use.

He was the first player to break the world transfer record twice: first for £5 million to Barcelona in 1982, then for £6.9 million to Napoli in 1984. Internationally, Maradona earned 91 caps and scored 34 goals for Argentina. He played in four World Cups, captaining the team to victory in 1986, where he also won the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player. In the quarterfinal against England, he scored both goals in a 2–1 win.

The first was an unpenalized handball known as the "Hand of God," and the second was a 60-meter dribble past five players, later voted the "Goal of the Century" by FIFA.com voters in 2002. Maradona managed Argentina from November 2008 until after the 2010 World Cup. He later coached Al Wasl in the UAE (2011–12), Fujairah (2017–18), Dorados in Mexico (2018–19), and Gimnasia de La Plata in Argentina (2019–20). He also served as chairman of Belarusian club Dynamo Brest in 2018.

He died on 25 November 2020. Maradona was born on 30 October 1960 at Policlínico Evita Hospital in Lanús, Buenos Aires Province, into a poor Roman Catholic family. He grew up in Villa Fiorito, a shantytown on the southern outskirts of Buenos Aires. His father, also named Diego Maradona, worked at a chemicals factory.

His mother, Dalma Salvadora Franco, was of Italian and Croatian descent. His parents had grown up in Esquina, Corrientes, and moved to Buenos Aires in the 1950s. Maradona had two younger brothers, Hugo and Raúl, who both became professional footballers, and four older sisters. He received his first football as a gift at age three and quickly became devoted to the game.

At eight, he was spotted by a talent scout while playing for his local club, Estrella Roja. In March 1969, his friend Gregorio Carrizo, who had already been recruited by coach Francis Gregorio Cornejo, recommended Maradona to Los Cebollitas, the junior team of Argentinos Juniors. Cornejo later said the eight-year-old played like an adult. Maradona became a star for the Cebollitas, and as a 12-year-old ball boy, he entertained crowds with his skills during halftime of Argentinos Juniors' first-division matches.

In 1973 and 1974, he led the Cebollitas to two Evita Tournament victories and 141 undefeated games in a row, alongside Adrián Domenech and Claudio Rodríguez, in what is considered the best youth team in Argentine football history. Growing up, Maradona named Brazilian playmaker Rivellino and Manchester United winger George Best as inspirations. On 20 October 1976, ten days before his 16th birthday, Maradona made his professional debut for Argentinos Juniors, becoming the youngest player in Argentine Primera División history.

He wore the number 16 jersey against Talleres de Córdoba. Minutes into the match, he nutmegged Juan Domingo Cabrera, a move that became symbolic of his talent. After the game, Maradona said, "That day I felt I had held the sky in my hands." Thirty years later, Cabrera recalled: "I was on the right side of the field and went to press him, but he didn't give me a chance.

He made the nutmeg and when I turned around, he was far away from me." Maradona scored his first two professional goals against Marplatense club San Lorenzo on 14 November 1976, two weeks after turning 16. He made 11 appearances in his debut season. In 1977, he scored 19 goals in 49 matches, attracting attention from other South American clubs.

In 1978, he scored 26 goals in 35 matches, but was surprisingly left off the 1978 World Cup squad by coach César Luis Menotti. In 1979, he scored 26 goals in 26 games, finishing as top scorer in both the Metropolitan and Nacional tournaments. In 1980, he scored 43 goals in 45 appearances and was top scorer in four consecutive tournaments. Over five years at Argentinos Juniors, he scored 115 goals in 167 appearances.

In February 1981, Maradona transferred to Boca Juniors for US$4 million. He had offers from other clubs, including River Plate, which offered to make him their highest-paid player, but River dropped their bid due to their large payroll.