Diego Maradona biography: Argentina Footballer

Diego Maradona biography

Argentina football player

Soccer player

lonympics biography

Full name: Diego Armando Maradona

Place of birth: Villa Fiorito, Argentina

Villa Fiorito is a villa miseria (shantytown) in the Lomas de Zamora Partido (formerly in Lanús Partido) in Buenos Aires Province, to the south of Buenos Aires.
Height: 165 cm (5 ft 5 in)
Playing position: Supporting striker - Attacking Midfielder

Date of birth: October 30, 1960 (1960-10-30)

Career

Argentinos Juniors 166 (116)
Boca Juniors 40 (28)
FC Barcelona 58 (38)
SSC Napoli 259 (115)
Sevilla FC 29 (7)
Newell's Old Boys 5 (0)
Boca Juniors 29 (7)

Maradona won trophies with Boca Juniors, FC Barcelona and SSC Napoli over his career. During an international career to include 91 caps and 34 goals, he played in four FIFA World Cup tournaments, leading Argentina's national team to a victory over West Germany in 1986, in which he collected a Golden Ball award as the tournament's best player. His second goal against England in the quarter finals of the '86 tournament, a spectacular 60 metre weave through six England players, is commonly referred to as "The Goal of the Century."

He is also considered one of the sport's most controversial figures. Maradona was suspended for 15 months in 1991 after a doping test for cocaine in Italy, and then again for ephedrine during the 1994 World Cup in USA.

After retirement from pro football on 30 October 1997, he suffered ill health and weight gain, along ongoing cocaine abuse. However, a stomach stapling operation helped control his weight gain. Since overcoming his cocaine addiction, he has become a TV host in Argentina.

Argentine former football player. He played in four World Cups and received the FIFA award for best footballer of the 20th century after being voted in an international fan poll organized by FIFA in 2000 to choose the best football player of all time.

Playing style
Maradona had a compact physique and could withstand physical pressure well. His strong legs and low centre of gravity gave him an advantage in short sprints. His physical strengths were illustrated by his two goals against Belgium in the 1986 World Cup. Maradona was a strategist and a team player, as well as highly technical with the ball. He could manage himself effectively in limited spaces, and would attract defenders only to quickly dash out of the melee (as in the second 1986 goal against England), or give an assist to a free teammate. Being short, but strong, he could hold the ball long enough with a defender on his back to wait for a teammate making a run or to find a gap for a quick shot.

One of Maradona's trademark moves was dribbling full speed as a left wing, and on reaching the opponent's goal line, delivering lethally accurate passes to his teammates. Another trademark was the Rabona, a reverse cross pass shot behind the leg that holds all the weight. This maneuver led to assists, such as the powerful cross for Ramón Díaz's header in the 1980 friendly against Switzerland. He was also a free kick taker.
Early years
Diego Armando Maradona was born in Villa Fiorito, a shantytown on the southern outskirts of Buenos Aires, to a poor family that moved from Corrientes Province. He was the first son after three daughters. He has two younger brothers, Hugo (el Turco) and Eduardo (Lalo), both of whom were also pro football players.

At age 10, Maradona was spotted by a scout while he was playing in his neighborhood club Estrella Roja. He became a staple of Los Cebollitas (The Little Onions), a junior team of Buenos Aires side Argentinos Juniors. As a 12-year-old ball boy, he amused spectators by showing his wizardry with the ball during the halftime intermissions of first division games.

Club career

Maradona's Boca 1981 match worn shirt. In his first season with his favorite team, he won the Argentine Apertura Metropolitan league. Maradona made his pro debut on October 20, 1976 ten days before his sixteenth birthday, with Argentinos Juniors. He played there between 1976 and 1981, before his £1m transfer to the club that he supported, Boca Juniors. Joining the squad midway through the 1981 season, Maradona played through 1982, and secured his first league winners' medal. After the 1982 World Cup, in June, Maradona was transferred to FC Barcelona in Spain for a then world record £5m. In 1983, under coach César Luis Menotti, Barcelona and Maradona won the Copa del Rey (Spain's annual national cup competition), beating Real Madrid. Maradona had a difficult tenure in Barcelona. First a bout with hepatitis, then an ill timed tackle by Athletic Bilbao's Andoni Goikoetxea jeopardized his career, but Maradona's physical strength and willpower made it possible for him to be back on the pitch after only 14 weeks. It is believed it was while playing for Barcelona that Maradona was introduced to cocaine, to which he would become addicted.

The Napoli era
Maradona got into frequent disputes with Barcelona's directors, especially president Josep Lluís Nuñez. In 1984, he demanded a transfer out of Nou Camp. He subsequently went to Serie A and SSC Napoli for another record fee, £6.9m, and became an adored star among the club's fans, as he elevated the team to its most successful era. Napoli won their only Italian Championships (1986/87 and 1989/1990), a Coppa Italia (1987), a UEFA Cup (1989) and an Italian Supercup (1990). Napoli were also runners up in the Italian Championship twice, in 1987/88 and 1988/89.

In Naples, Maradona was present for a transformation of the local club. They had traditionally been overshadowed by the teams from the industrial cities in the north, but Maradona's arrival, brought them a first scudetto in 1987. A second followed in 1990, along with cup successes. Maradona also faced a scandal there regarding an illegitimate son; he was also the object of some suspicion over his friendship with the Camorra, the local mafia.

Maradona left Napoli in 1992, after serving a 15 month ban for failing a drug test for cocaine. He played for Sevilla FC (1992–93), Newell's Old Boys (1993) and Boca Juniors (1995–97). He also attempted to work as coach on two short stints, leading Mandiyú of Corrientes (1994) and Racing Club (1995), but without much success. He retired from football on October 30, 1997, his 37th birthday.

International career

Maradona and the Youth World Cup trophy in 1979. He debuted with the Argentina national football team ("la selección"), at 16, against Hungary. At 18, he played the Football World Youth Championship for Argentina, and was the star of the tournament, shining in their 3–1 final win over the USSR team.

1982 World Cup
Maradona played a first World Cup tournament in 1982. In the first round, Argentina, the defending champions, lost to Belgium. Although the team convincingly beat Hungary and El Salvador to progress to the second round, they were defeated in the second round by eventual winners Italy. Maradona played in all five matches without being substituted, scoring twice against Hungary, but was sent off with 5 minutes remaining in a game against Brazil for serious foul play.

1986 World Cup
Maradona captained the Argentine national team to victory in the 1986 FIFA World Cup, winning a final against West Germany. Throughout the 1986 World Cup, Maradona asserted his dominance and was the most dynamic player. He played every minute of every Argentina game, scored 5 goals and made 5 assists. It was the two goals he scored in a 2-1 quarter-final win against England, in Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, it which cemented his legend.

Replays showed that the first goal was scored with the aid of his hand. Maradona was coyly evasive, describing it as "a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God." The play became known as the "Hand of God," or "la mano de Dios." On 22 August 2005 Maradona acknowledged on his tv show that he hit the ball with his hand purposely, and he immediately knew the goal was illegitimate. He recalled thinking right after the goal that

“ I was waiting for my teammates to embrace me, and no one came . . . I told them, 'Come hug me, or the referee isn't going to allow it.' ”

In contrast, Maradona's second goal was a technically pure display of Maradona's astonishing dribbling ability. He picked up the ball in his own half, swiveled around and ran more than half the length of the field, dribbling past five English players: (Glenn Hoddle, Peter Reid, Kenny Sansom, Terry Butcher, and Terry Fenwick) and goalkeeper Peter Shilton. The goal was voted the Goal of the Century in a 2002 online poll conducted by FIFA. In 2002, the two goals were ranked 6th in the 100 Greatest Sporting Moments by the UK's Channel 4 television channel.

Maradona followed this with two more goals in the semi against Belgium. In the final, the opposing West German side attempted to contain him by double marking, but he nevertheless found the space to give the final service to Jorge Burruchaga for the winning goal. Argentina beat West Germany 3 - 2 and Maradona lifted the World Cup trophy after dominating the tournament in historic fashion.

1990 World Cup
Maradona captained Argentina again in the 1990 FIFA World Cup. An ankle injury affected his overall performance, and he was much less dominant than four years earlier. Argentina were almost eliminated in the first round, only qualifying in third position from the group. In the round of 16 match against Brazil, a Maradona run from his own half set up the opportunity for Claudio Caniggia to score the game's only goal. Argentina then faced Yugoslavia in the quarterfinal round, the match ending 0-0 after 120 minutes, and Argentina advancing on penalty kicks, despite Maradona missing one of the penalties in the shootout. The semi against the host nation Italy was also resolved on penalties after a 1-1 draw; this time, Maradona was successful with his effort. In the final, Argentina lost 1-0 to West Germany, the only goal being a penalty by Andreas Brehme in the 85th minute after a controversial foul on Rudi Voller.

1994 World Cup
At the 1994 FIFA World Cup Maradona played in two games, scoring one goal against Greece, before being sent home after failing a drug test for ephedrine doping. In his autobiography, Maradona argued the test result was due to his personal trainer giving him the power drink Rip Fuel. His claim was that the US version, unlike the Argentine one, contained the chemical and, having run out of his Argentinian dosage, his trainer unwittingly bought the US formula. FIFA subsequently expelled him from USA '94 and the Argentinians, affected by his absence, went home in the second round. Maradona has also separately claimed he had an agreement with FIFA, on which the organization reneged, to allow him to use the drug for weight loss before the competition in order to be able to play. According to Maradona, this was so the World Cup would not lose prestige because of his absence. This allegation was never proved, and many fans attribute his comment ("they cut off my legs") to his anger at being suspended.

Retirement and honours
In 2000, Maradona published his autobiography Yo Soy El Diego ("I am The Diego"), which became an instant bestseller in his home nation. Two years later, Maradona donated the Cuban royalties of his book to "the Cuban people and Fidel."

Also in 2000, while Napoli was retiring the number 10 jersey in his honour, FIFA conducted a fan poll on the Internet, to determine the Player of the Century. Maradona, with 53.6% of the votes, was the clear winner. After Brazilian commentators claimed the voting was flawed (because a younger internet demographic would have seen Maradona play, but not Pelé), FIFA appointed a "Football Family" committee of football experts that voted to award Pelé the title. Maradona protested at the change in procedure, and declared he would not attend the ceremony if Pelé replaced him. Eventually, two awards were made, one to each of the pair. Maradona accepted his prize, but left the ceremony without waiting to see Pelé receive his accolade.

In 2001, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) asked FIFA for authorization to retire the jersey number 10 for Maradona. FIFA did not grant the request, even though Argentine officials have maintained that FIFA hinted that it would.

Maradona won other fan polls, including a 2002 FIFA poll in which his second goal against England was chosen as the best goal ever scored in a World Cup; he also won the most votes in a poll to determine the All-Time Ultimate World Cup Team.

Argentinos Juniors named its stadium after Maradona on December 26, 2003.

On 22 June 2005, it was announced Maradona would return to Boca Juniors as a sports vice president in charge of managing the First Division roster (after a disappointing 2004–05 season, which coincided with Boca's centenary). His contract began 1 August 2005, and one of his first recommendations proved to be very effective: he was the one who decided to hire Alfio Basile as the new coach. With Maradona fostering a close relationship with the players, Boca went on to win the 2005 Apertura title, the 2006 Clausura title, the 2005 Copa Sudamericana and the 2005 Recopa Sudamericana.

On 15 August 2005, Maradona made his debut as host of a talk-variety show on Argentine television, La Noche del 10 ("The Night of the no. 10"). His main guest on opening night was Pelé; the two had a friendly chat, showing no signs of past differences. In subsequent evenings, he led ratings on all occasions but one. Most guests were drawn from the worlds of football and show business, including Zidane, Ronaldo and Hernán Crespo, but also included interviews with other notable personalities such as Fidel Castro and Mike Tyson.

On August 26, 2006, it was announced that Maradona was quitting his position in the club Boca Juniors because of disagreements with the AFA, who selected Basile to be the new coach of the Argentina National Football Team.

The award winning Serbian filmmaker Emir Kusturica is preparing a documentary about Maradona's life, entitled Maradona. The film is currently in post production, and its release is expected in 2007. Italian Australian actor Marco Leonardi has been confirmed to play the footballer in the film.

In September 2006, Maradona, in his famous blue and white number 10, was the captain for Argentina in a three-day World Cup of Indoor Football tournament in Spain. Against Spain, Maradona set up the first goal for Argentina with a lob over the top of the defense for his teammate to head it home.

Personal agents
Jorge Cyterszpiller, a childhood friend, was Maradona's first agent. He set up Maradona Producciones but did not score any major successes with merchandising, as counterfeiters would imitate any product that came on the market. On his advice, Maradona charged for interviews, a move that generated some controversy.

After breaking up with Cyterszpiller, Maradona hooked up with Guillermo Coppola, a bank employee who had started representing players as a hobby and was already a major agent in the mid 1980s. Coppola oversaw the biggest contracts of Maradona's career, but also was involved in the drug scandals of the early 1990s. Maradona and Coppola parted ways acrimoniously, and they still refer to the end of their relations as an open wound.

Personal life
Maradona married long time fiancée Claudia Villafañe on November 7, 1989 in Buenos Aires, after the birth of their daughters, Dalma Nerea (b. 1987) and Giannina Dinorah (b. 1989). In his autobiography, Maradona admits he was not faithful to Claudia, even though he refers to her as the love of his life.

Maradona and Villafañe divorced in 2004. Daughter Dalma has since asserted the divorce was the best solution for all, as her parents remained on friendly terms. They traveled to Napoli for a series of homages in June 2005 and were seen together on many other occasions, including the Argentina matches during 2006 FIFA World Cup.

During the divorce proceedings, Maradona admitted he was the father of Diego Sinagra (b. Naples, 1986), as was claimed by the youth's mother Cristiana Sinagra. (The Italian courts had so ruled in 1993, after Maradona refused to undergo DNA tests for proving or disproving his paternity.) Diego Jr. met Maradona for the first time in May 2003 after tricking his way onto a golf course in Naples where Maradona was playing.

After the divorce, Claudia embarked on a career as a theatre producer, and Dalma is seeking an acting career; she has expressed her desire to attend the Actor's Studio in Los Angeles. Maradona has authored an autobiography entitled "El Diego" chronicling his life, both on and off the playing field.

Drug abuse and health situation
Since the 1990s, Maradona has battled a cocaine addiction, which included spells in Swiss and Cuban detox clinics. Between 2002 and 2005, Maradona spent most of his time in Cuba.

On April 18, 2004, doctors reported Maradona had suffered a major heart attack following a cocaine overdose; he was admitted to intensive care in a Buenos Aires hospital. Scores of fans gathered around the clinic. Days after the heart attack, a nurse was caught taking photos of Maradona with a mobile phone and was fired by the hospital managers. After he showed improvement, Maradona was taken off the respirator on April 23 and remained in intensive care for several days before being discharged on April 29. He returned to Cuba in May.

Maradona has always had a tendency to put on weight, and suffered increasingly with obesity from the end of his playing career until undergoing gastric bypass surgery in a clinic in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia on March 6, 2005. When Maradona resumed public appearances shortly thereafter, he displayed a notably thinner figure.

On March 29, 2007 Maradona was readmitted to a hospital in Buenos Aires. He was treated for hepatitis and effects of alcohol abuse, and was released on 11 April, but re-admitted two days later. In the following days there were constant rumors on his health, including three false claims of his death within a month

Political views

During the nineties, Diego Maradona supported the presidency of neoliberal Carlos Menem in Argentina. In more recent years, Maradona has shown more sympathy to left wing ideologies. He became friends with Fidel Castro while in treatment in Cuba. He has a portrait of Castro tattooed on his left leg and one of Ernesto Che Guevara on his right arm. In 2005 he visited Venezuela with the specific aim of meeting Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, who received him in Miraflores. After this meeting Maradona claimed he had come with the aim of meeting a great man ("un grande" in spanish) but he had met instead a gigantic man ("un gigante" in spanish, meaning he was more than great). At the same press conference after their meeting he claimed he had "fell in love" with Mr Chávez. He has declared his opposition to imperialism, notably during the 2005 Summit of the Americas in Mar del Plata, Argentina. There he protested George W. Bush's presence in Argentina, wearing a Stop Bush T-shirt and referring to Bush as human garbage.

Reputation
Ever since 1986, it is common for Argentines abroad to hear Maradona's name as a token of recognition, even in remote places. In Argentina, Maradona is often talked about in terms reserved for legends. In the Argentine film El Hijo de la Novia ("The bride's son"), an actor who plays a fake Catholic priest says to a bar patron: "they idolized him and then crucified him". When scolded by a friend for taking the prank too far, a fake priest retorts: "But I was talking about Maradona".

In Buenos Aires, fans organized the "Church of Maradona." Maradona's 43rd birthday in 2003 marked the start of the Year 43 D.D. - "Después de Diego" or After Diego - for its founding 200 members. Tens of thousands more have become members via the church's official web site.

Hounded for years by the press, Maradona even fired a compressed air rifle against reporters who, so he claimed, invaded his privacy.

Maradona still generates controversy in England. In 1987, he played in an invitational game at London's Wembley Stadium celebrating the centenary of the English Football League. Maradona was part of the 'Rest of the World XI' playing against the English League XI. Each time Maradona touched the ball he was subject to angry chants and boos from the crowd. It was reported he received threats while in England.

A columnist for the sports daily Olé welcomed Maradona's hosting a TV show in 2005, noting that "for the first time, he seems to have found his place in the world outside the football pitch".

A television commercial for Brazilian soft drink Guaraná Antarctica portrayed Maradona as a member of the Brazilian national football team, including wearing the yellow jersey and singing the Brazilian national anthem with Brazilian caps Kaká and Ronaldo. Later in the commercial he wakes up realizing it was nightmare after having drank too much of the soft drink. This generated some controversy in the Argentine media after its release

In May 2006, Maradona agreed to take part in UK's Soccer Aid (a program to raise money for Unicef). Maradona showed his skill with the ball and even scored a penalty

Career statistics

Club
His overall average of goals scored per match in domestic club competitions is 0.53.

International
34 goals in 91 appearances for Argentina (1977-1994)
Started in 21 consecutive matches for Argentina in four World Cups (1982, 1986, 1990, 1994)
Appeared World Cup record 16 times as captain of the national team.
Scored 8 goals and made 8 assists in 21 World Cup appearances, including 5 goals and 5 assists in 1986
Tied for second-highest goal-scorer from Argentina in World Cup finals (equaled Guillermo Stabile's mark in 1994; surpassed by Gabriel Batistuta in 1998)

Honours

Club honours
1981 Argentine league (Boca Juniors)
1983 Copa del Rey (FC Barcelona)
1987 Italian league (SSC Napoli)
1987 Italian Cup (SSC Napoli)
1988 Italian top-scorer (SSC Napoli)
1989 UEFA Cup (SSC Napoli)
1990 Italian league (SSC Napoli)
1991 Italian Super Cup (SSC Napoli)

International honours
1979 FIFA World Youth Championship - Winner
1986 FIFA World Cup - Winner
1990 FIFA World Cup - Runner-up
1993 Artemio Franchi Trophy - Winner

Individual honours
1979 Golden Ball for Best Player of the FIFA U-20 World Cup
1979, 1980, 1981 Argentine league Top Scorer
1979–1981, 1986 Argentine Football Writers' Footballer of the Year
1979, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1992 South American Footballer of the Year (El Mundo, Caracas)
1986 Argentine Sports Writers' Sportsman of the Year
1986 Golden Ball for Best Player of the FIFA World Cup
1986–1987 Best Footballer in the World (Once)
1986 World Player of the Year (World Soccer Magazine)
1996 Golden Ball for services to football (France Football)
1999 Argentine Sports Writers' Sportsman of the Century
2000 "FIFA best football player of the century", people's choice.
2002 "FIFA Goal of the Century" (1986 (2–1) v. England; second goal)
2005 Argentine Senate "Domingo Faustino Sarmiento" recognition for lifetime achievemen

Misspell

Diago Armado Mardona Dego Marradona Dieago Maraadona

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