Maradona: the biography of one of the great names in football

Diegosetting upmaradona was one of the great players of football of history. Born in Lanús, near Buenos Aires, he began his career playing for Argentinos Juniors. He had a winning trajectory for the Argentine national team, winning the 1986 World Cup, played in Spain. The club where he was most victorious was Italy's Napoli. Died at the end of 2020, as a result of a cardiorespiratory arrest.

Read too:23 unusual trivia in the history of football

birth and youth

Diego Armando Maradona Franco was born in the city of Lanús, in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, on the day October 30, 1960. He was the fifth child of Diego Maradona and Dalma Salvadora Franco, a couple who had a total of eight children. Two of Maradona's brothers — Raúl and Hugo — also pursued careers as soccer players.

Diego Maradona was one of the greatest football players in history and marked Argentina by winning the 1986 World Cup.[1]

Had a very poor childhood and his contact with football was precocious. At 9 years of age, he performed a test (known in Brazil as a sieve) to

join the base categories of theArgentineansJuniors, until then a small club in the city of Buenos Aires. That was the beginning of a successful career.

In the Argentinos Juniors youth categories, Maradona was part of Los Cebollitas, a children's team made up of players from the 1960s generation that had great success in Argentina's youth competitions. In all, Los Cebollitas were unbeaten by 136 games and Maradona became one of the big names on that team.

Journalist Eduardo Galeano reported that at that time Maradona had the habit of sticking out his tongue while on impulse or making some great effort.|1|. Even though he was still a child, his football talent was already drawing attention. In 1971, one of the great Argentine newspapers, the bugle, already announced the 11-year-old as an ace|2|.

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Professional career

THE Maradona's debut as a professional player it happened on the same team he joined in the youth categories — Argentinos Juniors — on the day October 20, 1976. He was only 15 years old and entered the second half against Talleres, team from Córdoba, but saw his team be defeated.

Maradona defined that, in his debut, he touched the skies with his hands and, that year, he still played 10 more games for his team. Your first goal as a professional it happened on the day November 14, 1976, in a match against San Lorenzo, a team also from Buenos Aires. In that game, he scored two goals and his team won 5-2.

From 1978 onwards, he established himself as a standout of Argentinos Juniors and was top scorer in the Argentine championship five times, between championships held in 1978, 1979 and 1980. This is explained because, at that time, the Argentine championship was played in two rounds (called Metropolitan and National) and each one of them generated a champion.

However, Maradona failed to be champion for Argentinos Juniors and obtained, at most, a vice-championship in Argentina. In 1981, he transferred to theMouthJuniors, team from Buenos Aires and holder of one of the biggest fans in Argentina. At Boca Juniors, Maradona debuted again against Talleres. He stayed for a year on the Xeneize team and conquered the1981 Metropolitan Championship.

• european football

After playing the 1982 World Cup, Maradona was sold to Barcelona, from Spain, and began his career in European football. The Argentine ace remained at this club for two seasons and won two titles there: the King's Cup and the Spanish League Cup.

In 1984, he was sold by Barcelona and transferred to Napoli, from Italy. In the team of southern Italy, he stayed for eight years and marked Neapolitan history, being one of the great players of that team and being part of the best team in the history of Napoli.

In Napoli, Maradona was one of those responsible for conquering thegreat titles in the team's history. The Neapolitan team was champion of the Italian championship on two occasions: in the 1986/87 and 1989/90 seasons. Maradona's Napoli also won an Italian Cup, in 1986/87, and the Uefa Cup, a continental tournament, in 1988/1989.

With Maradona, the Napoli team won the greatest titles in its history.[2]

In the Uefa Cup final, Napoli played against Sttugart, the German team, and were champions after winning the first game by 2x1 and drawing the second game in 3x3. Maradona scored Napoli's first goal in the first game of the final. On this team, Maradona partnered with Careca, a Brazilian player, who he defined as one of the greatest players of all time.

In early 1991, a doping test for Maradona was positive for cocaineand he was suspended from football for 15 months. After the suspension ended, the Argentine player expressed his intention to leave Napoli, and he was sold to Sevilla, team from Spain. His time at Sevilla was not successful and was marked by the problems of the Argentine player's relationship with the Andalusian team's board.

• Return to Argentine football

In 1993, Maradona returned to Argentine football. He closed a deal with the Newell's Old Boys, Rosario's team, but there he played only five games and didn't score any goals. In early 1994, he dropped out of Newell to the Old Boys and was caught in anti-doping again, this time for five different substances, being suspended again for 15 months.

While suspended, he was hired to be Club Deportivo Mandiyu coach, a small club that played the first division of Argentine football at the time. That experience as a coach failed and he only got 1 win in 12 games. The last years of Maradona's career were spent at Boca Juniors, his favorite team. On October 30, 1997, his birthday, he announced hisretirement.

Read too: Pelé — the youngest player to win a World Cup

Argentinean team

Maradona is recognized as the greatest player in argentine history and one of the greatest football players in the world. Many even consider him the greatest football player in the world. His trajectory in the Argentine national team was victorious, as he was one of the leaders of the Argentine team that won the world Cup 1986, played in Mexico.

The 1986 World Cup was the great achievement of Diego Maradona's career.[3]

Maradona's career in the Argentine national team began victorious from the ground up. In 1978, he could have been called up for the team that won the cup played in Argentina, but the coach at that time, Cesar Menotti, decided not to call him because he was too young Maradona: he was only 17 years old.

In 1979, he was one of the highlights of the Argentine team that won the U-20 World Cup, played in Japan. In the final, Argentina defeated the Soviet Union 3-1, and Maradona scored his team's third goal.

THE 1982 World Cup, played in Spain, was the first in Maradona's career and his participation was surrounded by expectations. In it he played five matches and scored two goals in the game against Hungary (Argentina's 4-1 victory). Argentina ended up being eliminated in the second phase of the tournament after being defeated by Italy by 2-1 and to Brazil by 3-1. In the game against Brazil, Maradona was sent off after a violent challenge against a Brazilian player.

THE 1986 World Cup was played in Mexico and it was the great tournament of Maradona's life and the history of Argentine football. In this competition, he played in the seven games of his team and scored five goals, being chosen the best player and winning the vice artillery of the tournament.

In addition, his performance against England was immortalized, standing out the famous hand goal, entitled by himself as “mano de dios” ("Hand of God"), and also the anthological goal, in which he took the ball from the Argentine defense field and went out dribbling all the English players that came his way.

The final of this World Cup was played by Argentina and West Germany. It was a great game and it ended 3x2 for the Argentines. The final goal, the Argentine victory goal, scored by Burruchaga, was assisted by Maradona. It was Argentina's second World Cup title.

At 1990 World Cup, played in Italy, Maradona led a weakened Argentina to the final of the competition. The great highlight of the player in this competition was the play made by him, who cleared the mark and touched the ball for Caniggia to dribble Taffarel and score Argentina's goal that eliminated Brazil in the round of 16 Final. That game ended 1-0. In this Cup, Maradona played every game and didn't score goals. In the final, Argentina again faced West Germany and were defeated 1-0, with a penalty goal from Brehme.

THE the last Cup in the career of the legendary Argentine player was 1994, when he was 33 years old. His participation in this competition was cut short because he was caught in the doping test. He played two matches and scored a goal in Argentina's 4-0 victory over Greece. In this Cup, Argentina was eliminated in the round of 16 after being defeated by Romania by 3x2.

maradona still played three Copa America for Argentina, but did not win any. The 1989 edition was played in Brazil, and he was called up to play. He was at the height of his career. In this competition, Argentina played matches in Goiânia and Rio de Janeiro, but was in third place, scoring only two goals in the entire tournament.

He too coached Argentina in a World Cup. At 2010 edition, played in South Africa, he led his team to the quarterfinals. In this edition, your team played the following games:

• (Group stage): Argentina 1x0 Nigeria;
• (Group stage): Argentina 4x1 South Korea;
• (Group stage): Argentina 2x0 Greece;
• (round of 16): Argentina 3x1 Mexico;
• (Quarter finals): Argentina 0x4 Germany.

Read too: Beginnings of soccer in Brazil

Statistics

Maradona was one of three Argentine players who were elected as the best in an edition of the World Cup. The others were Mario Kempes, in 1978, and Lionel Messi, in 2014. According to a survey by ESPN Brazil, Maradona scored 345 goals as a professional player. These goals were distributed as follows:

• Argentinos Juniors (1976-1981): 116 goals;
• Boca Juniors (1981-82): 28 goals;
• Barcelona (1982-84): 38 goals;
• Napoli (1984-92): 115 goals;
• Sevilla (1992-93): 7 goals;
• Newell's Old Boys (1993): 0 goal;
• Boca Juniors (1995-97): 7 goals;
• Argentina team: 34 goals.

Last years

The last years of Diego Maradona's life and career were marked by controversial events, such as his struggle to get rid of your chemical dependency. He also had other experiences as a coach and commanded teams in the UAE, Mexico and Argentina, but without major highlights.

In November 2020, Maradona became ill and was hospitalized suffering from anemia and dehydration. This hospitalization made him undergo a series of tests, which identified a bruise on the former player's head. The surgery to treat this hematoma was performed in La Plata and was considered a success.

He was hospitalized for a few more days and was taken to his home in Tigre, metropolitan area of ​​Buenos Aires, to recover. However, on the day November 25, 2020, at age 60, Maradona suffered a cardiopulmonary arrest, which caused the death of the Argentine.

Marked as one of the greatest players of all time, Diego Maradona was well defined by the words of Eduardo Galeano:

This generous and supportive idol had been able to commit, in just five minutes, the two most contradictory goals in the history of football. His devotees worshiped him for both of them: not only was the artist's goal, embroidered by the devilry of his legs, worthy of admiration, but also, and perhaps more, the thief's goal, which his hand stole. Diego Armando Maradona was adored not only because of his prodigious juggling, but also because he was a dirty, sinful god, the most human of gods.|3|.

Grades

|1| MARADONA, Diego Armando. I'm el Diego. Buenos Aires: Planet, 2000, p. 12.

|2| GALEANO, Eduardo. Football in the sun and shade. Porto Alegre: L&PM Pocket, 2013, p. 138.

|3| GALEANO, Eduardo. Closed for football reasons. Porto Alegre: L&PM Pocket, 2018.

Image credits

[1] Andrew Makedonski and Shutterstock

[2] Antonio Gravante and Shutterstock

[3] catwalker and Shutterstock

By Daniel Neves
History teacher