Biography of Diego Armando Maradona: – Argentine footballer, one of the greatest in history, often compared to the legendary Pele.
Although his ability with the ball and his refined technique matched that of the Brazilian, Maradona’s career was much more irregular: his difficult character, health problems and drug addiction failed part of his career, but he did not prevent his brilliance shone on numerous occasions.
Biography of Diego Armando Maradona
- Born:- 30 October 1960 (age 56), Lanús, Argentina
- Height:- 1.65 m
- Career Start:- 1976
- Number:- 10 (FC Barcelona / Midfielder),
- Spouse:- Claudia Villafañe (m. 1984–2004)
- Sibbling:- Hugo Maradona, Raúl Maradona, Ana Maria Maradona
- Died:- November 25, 2020
After winning the world youth championship in 1979 with the selection of his country and succeeding two years later in Boca Juniors, he began a European tour that took him to FC Barcelona (1982-84), Naples (1984-91) and Sevilla (1992-93).
See Also: Biography of Ronaldinho
Returning to Argentina he played for Newell’s Old Boys and Boca Juniors before retiring in 1997. With the Argentine team he participated in four world championships and won the world title in Mexico (1986), in which he had a portentous and unforgettable performance.
The most popular soccer player in Argentina was born, according to the Civil Registry, on October 30, 1961 in Lanús, although everyone identifies him as the Fuzz of Villa Fiorito, where he spent his childhood and from where he rose to fame.
At the age of nine, he began his romance with football, while playing in a children’s team known as Los Cebollitas. Don Diego, his father, ran a little canchita in the neighborhood and directed the Red Star team, which Diego son agreed as a teenager and in spite of his older colleagues.
He studied at the commercial school Avellaneda, but did not finish the first year of high school, as he spent his hours playing games (almost juggling) with the ball.
Filled by Argentinos Juniors, he made his debut in the first division in 1976, ten days before his sixteenth birthday. He continued playing in Argentinos Juniors until 1980, and although his equipment did not obtain a championship, Maradona was the top scorer of the Argentinean tournaments of the years 1978, 1979 and 1980.
In 1979 he was part of the youth team that won the world championship . In 1981 it happened to the Boca Juniors (River Plate also tried to contract it), equipment with which it left champion that same year.
The European Adventure
By then the clubs of the old continent were the natural destination of the great promises of American football, and Maradona was the most outstanding. Hired in 1982 by Fútbol Club Barcelona for 1,200 million pesetas (7.2 million euros, an astronomical figure at the time), obtained with the azulgranas the Cup of the League, the Glass of the King (both in 1983) and the Supercopa de España (1984), but a hepatitis and a serious injury affected his performance.
Again for an astronomical amount passed in 1984 to Naples, with which he won the leagues of 1987 and 1990, the UEFA Cup of 1989 and the Supercopa of Italy of 1991.
During his Italian stage he married Claudia Villafañe, of whom she would have two daughters, Dalma and Giannina. Maradona remained in Naples until 1991, a year in which an anti-doping control detected cocaine consumption, reason why it was suspended during fifteen months, shortly after he was arrested in Buenos Aires in a police raid. On April 28, 1992 he was released and had to face an accusation of drug supply and possession.
His international career ended badly in Sevilla, a team that did not complete the 1992-1993 seasons. When he returned to Argentina after his European experience, he played for Rosario Newell’s Old Boys club (1993-1994) and, after meeting the suspension imposed in 1994 by the international football authority (FIFA), he returned to wear the Boca Juniors jersey in 1995, in an irregular season in its performance. In October 1997 he announced his definitive withdrawal after, once again, testing positive for an anti-doping test.
The hand of God and the goal of the century
With the Argentine national team, Maradona had already seen his magic in the team that won the youth world championship in Japan (1979).
In the absolute category, Maradona was part of the national teams that participated in four world championships: those of Spain (1982), Mexico (1986), Italy (1990) and United States (1994).
He won the World Championship played in Mexico (1986) and with the runner-up in Italy (1990). In the United States World Cup (1994) only came to play two games; after the second, tested positive for an anti-doping control and was suspended.
Where his figure shone with greater intensity was undoubtedly in the World Cup in Mexico, when his ability to drag the entire defense of the rival team with its impressive facility for gambeta and projection stunned the millions of fans who followed the championship through from the television.
Particularly memorable was their performance in the quarterfinals: four years after the Falklands War, Englishmen and Argentines faced each other in a match of maximum rivalry, which ended with the victory of the albicelestes by 2 to 1, with two goals of Maradona.
The first of them must have been annulled (Maradona fisted a ball that disputed to the British goalkeeper), but not for that reason is less famous: to ask later to him if he had marked the so much with the hand, Maradona responded that had been “the hand of God”, and with that name went down in history.
The second, rightly called the goal of the century, was one of his geniuses difficult to overcome: starting from his own field, Maradona dribbled, one after another, five English players and the goalkeeper, and scored a left-footed.
Professionally, after his retirement he worked as a coach, manager of Boca Juniors, sports commentator and television presenter.
Despite the numerous scandals and controversies that he carried out during and after his sports career, Maradona continued to be idolized in his country. The Pelusa knew to excite the lovers of soccer and it gained a place in the history of this sport.
The song that composed Fito Páez (Dale joy to my heart) and the tango Mago Diego, by Enrique Bugatti, are some of the tributes that his compatriots dedicated to him.
In 2008 he was appointed technical director of the Argentine soccer team, and his management, as might be expected, was controversial: despite having figures such as Leo Messi, whom he recognized as his successor, the albiceleste combo did not exceed the quarterfinals in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
