There are very few players in the history of the beautiful game who have had such a profound effect as Diego Armando Maradona.
The diminutive Argentinian brought joy and happiness to millions of people on the football field while also fighting his personal demons off it.
Quite simply, Maradona is one of the best players that football has ever seen—a genuine legend of the game.
The early years of a potential superstar
Like many of football’s best players, Maradona came from humble beginnings. Maradona was born in the Lanus, a Buenos Aires province, on October 30th 1960.
He grew up in a shantytown, Villa Fiorito. His talent was evident from an early age, as from the moment he received a football at the age of three, he became obsessed with the game.
Maradona was spotted by a scout playing for Estrella Roja, his local club, at just eight years of age by a scout from Argentinos Juniors. When he had a trial at the club, the youth coaches didn’t believe he was just eight because of how well he played.
He joined the junior team of the club, Los Cebollitas, and by the time he was 12, he was wowing crowds as a ball boy for the first team, showing off his skills during half-time of Primera Division games.
Maradona helped Los Cebollitas to an incredible 141-game unbeaten streak alongside future first-team teammate Adrian Domenech in what was considered one of the best youth teams that the Argentinian game had ever produced.
Becoming a star in his homeland before moving to Europe
When he made his first-team debut, Maradona was ten days short of his 16th birthday. He marked his first appearance by producing an audacious nutmeg on defender Juan Domingo Herrera.
It didn’t take Maradona long to score his first in the Argentinos Juniors’ first team, as he scored his maiden effort on 14th November 1976 against Marplatense. The goal came only two weeks after he turned 16.
The forward continued to impress at Argentino Juniors, scoring 115 goals in 167 appearances for his first club before earning a $4m move to Buenos Aires powerhouse Boca Juniors,
Maradona continued to shine in the Primera Division, scoring 28 goals in 40 appearances, helping the club to the Argentinian top-flight title in his only season with Boca.
After the 1982 World Cup, he joined Catalan giants Barcelona for a then-world record fee of £5m. He spent two seasons with the Blaugrana, scoring 38 goals in 58 appearances in all competitions.
While with the Catalan giants, he won the Copa del Rey and the Copa del Liga. One of the other highlights of his Barcelona career was receiving a standing ovation at the Bernabeu against Real Madrid in El Clasico. It was a rare occurrence that few Barcelona players have received.
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Injuries and a now infamous on-the-field clash at Athletic Club overshadowed his spell in Catalonia, and he didn’t fulfil his potential with the club.
A period to remember
In the summer of 1984, Diego Maradona would make the move that would define his career, as he headed for Italian club Napoli for another world record fee, this time £6.9m.
When he arrived in Naples, he was greeted by 75,000 fans at the San Paolo for his presentation. The Azzurri fans felt like the Argentinian’s signing could be the catalyst for the club’s success, as the team had endured a poor campaign in season 1983/84, having struggled against the drop from Serie A.
And boy, was they right. Maradona thrived and played the best football of his club career at Napoli. In his seven-year career in Naples, consisting of 259 appearances for the club, he scored 115 goals, becoming the team’s talisman.
His performances inspired the Naples outfit to win their first-ever Scudetto in season 1986/87. The Argentinian also played a pivotal role in the club’s second Serie A triumph in season 1989/90.
Napoli was also successful in the cup competitions, winning the Coppa Italia in 1987, the Supercoppa Italiana in 1990 and the UEFA Cup in 1989.
It was the most successful period in the history of the club, and Maradona was seen as the figurehead of the trophy-laden period.
During his career at Napoli, he wasn’t only a talisman at club level. The diminutive number ten dragged Argentina to their 1986 World Cup triumph, starring for the Albiceleste at the tournament.
Argentina defeated Germany 3-2 in the final of the competition. However, arguably, their 2-1 quarter-final win over England is the most memorable game of that particular run for Argentina.
Maradona scored what is now referred to as ‘The Hand of God’ goal in the last-eight encounter, but also scored one of the best goals the World Cup has ever seen in the clash. The game almost summed up Maradona perfectly, as he showed his good and bad sides.
He also helped Argentina to reach the 1990 World Cup final, only for his team to suffer a 1-0 defeat against West Germany in Rome. He was vilified in certain parts of Italy for helping Argentina eliminate the hosts in the semi-finals.
For much of his time in Naples, Maradona allegedly suffered from drug issues. He also ran into problems in his personal life with allegations of connections to the Camorra crime family and claims that he had an illegitimate son.
In 1992, Maradona’s world came crashing down, as he received a 15-month ban from football after he failed a drug test for cocaine. He then left Napoli, which was a sad end for such a hero of the city.
Maradona played at the 1994 World Cup. He made two appearances before failing a drug test for ephedrine doping. The failed drug test ended his international career.
His career was never the same after his 15-month ban. He spent time with Sevilla, Newell’s Old Boys and also Boca Juniors, where he ended his career in the 1997/98 season.
When his playing career was over, he went into management. He even managed his national team from November 2008 until July 2010. However, he is far better remembered for his playing career.
Maradona should be remembered for football brilliance
Although he had many demons and issues in life, Diego Armando Maradona should be best remembered as the brilliant footballer and leader the world over who dragged both Napoli and Argentina to glory on a football field.
Without his football skills and big personality, neither would have achieved the success they did. He is a hero in Naples and to Argentinian football fans.
His death from a cardiac arrest on 25th November 2020 hit many people hard, including the people of Naples. On the 4th of December, Napoli’s San Paolo was renamed the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. He is also on numerous murals throughout the city.
Maradona may have been a flawed genius off the pitch, but there have been few before or after him that can claim to have made such a mark on modern football.