Diego Maradona

Verified Timeline

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'). 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 Their Own Story

On 12 May 2008, Diego Maradona Jr. made his debut for the Italy national beach soccer team in a match against Greece during the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup qualification in Spain. He played four matches in the qualification, helping Italy place fourth and qualify for the World Cup. In June 2008, he left Venafro and was bought by A.S.D. Mare di Roma. He debuted in Beach Soccer's Serie A on 27 June 2008, scoring a goal against Alma Juventus Fano. He scored six goals in three matches for Mare di Roma, convincing Italy's coach Giancarlo Magrini to include him in the squad for the 2008 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup. Italy placed second in the World Cup, losing 5–3 in the final against Brazil. Maradona scored two goals for Italy in the competition, including one in the final. He scored a dozen goals in the championship, helping his team, Mare di Roma, advance to the final phase of the Italian title competition, though they were eliminated in the quarter-finals.

Reader's Guide

Maradona played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell's Old Boys during his club career. 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).

Did You Know?

• Maradona was born on 30 October 1960 at the Policlínico Evita Hospital in Lanús, Buenos Aires Province, to a poor Roman Catholic family.
• He received his first football as a gift at age three and quickly became devoted to the game.
• At age eight, he was spotted by a talent scout while playing at Estrella Roja, his local club.
• He made his professional debut for Argentinos Juniors on 20 October 1976, ten days before his 16th birthday, becoming the youngest player in the history of the Argentine Primera División.
• Maradona scored his first two goals as a professional against San Lorenzo on 14 November 1976, two weeks after turning 16.