Diego Maradona — The Best Footballer of the 20th Century

Diego Armando Maradona was an Argentine footballer who played as a forward and attacking midfielder. He was the 1979 Youth World Champion, the best player of the 1986 World Cup, and South American Footballer of the Year in 1979 and 1980. Maradona was twice included in the symbolic World Cup team, won the Argentine championship with Boca Juniors, and was a two-time Italian champion with Napoli.

According to FIFA voting, he was named the best footballer of the 20th century. Various international sports publications consistently rank him among the top five footballers of the last century. Maradona was the first recipient of the Ballon d’Or. He was a member of the symbolic best South American players team and simply an incredibly talented athlete.

His career was significantly shortened due to drug addiction, but this does not make it any less brilliant. In this brief biography, we will cover the most important moments of the legendary footballer’s life.

Childhood

Diego Armando Maradona was born on October 30, 1960, in Lanús, a city in the Buenos Aires province. His father Diego worked at a mill, and his mother Dalma Salvadora was a housewife. The boy was named after his father. He was the fifth child in the family but the only boy. Maradona had four sisters.

All Argentine boys played football from an early age. Diego was no exception. His first leather ball was a gift from his cousin for his seventh birthday. The boy slept with it all night and was afraid to take it outside, playing with it inside the house during winter. In spring, his father taught him how to kick the ball against a wall.

Once Diego learned to kick well, he began playing with older kids. At first, he struggled but gradually adapted perfectly. He initially liked playing defense but gradually moved to attack. Over time, he became the most skillful street footballer, and everyone wanted him on their team.

When he started school at Remedios de Escalada San Martín, he was immediately included in the football team. Later, in his book, he wrote that his parents did not always want to let him play because they wanted him to study.

Maradona’s family lived in one of the poorest neighborhoods of the city. Local children helped adults by molding clay pots and flowers to sell. Maradona later said, “If my parents asked me for the moon, I would do everything to get it. But that would be nothing compared to what they did for me.”

Early Football Career

In mid-1969, a friend who bonded with Maradona over football introduced him to Francisco Cornejo, a scout and coach of the under-14 team of Argentinos Juniors. Diego impressed the specialist, who could not believe the boy was not yet 10 years old and initially thought he was a dwarf. At first, the boys only handed balls to the adults, but later Cornejo created a youth team called “Los Cebollitas” (“The Little Onions”).

This was a youth team affiliated with Argentinos Juniors, with its own uniform and training field access. Diego Maradona became the leader. His excellent physical abilities and game vision allowed him to stand firmly on the field and not fall even when tackled. He mastered almost all ball-handling techniques.

“Los Cebollitas” quickly improved, regularly winning and even traveling to tournaments in Uruguay and Peru. Maradona also performed during breaks of the Argentinos Juniors team, juggling the ball. His excellent ball control even earned him an invitation to a TV show.

From age 12, Maradona played for the Argentinos Juniors youth team, though his real age was concealed. In 1973, the club won the Evita Cup thanks to a goal by Maradona, who dribbled past seven River Plate players. River Plate wanted to buy Diego, but his father refused.

The next year, Argentinos Juniors moved to the eighth league. In 1975, Diego was promoted to the seventh league and soon after to the fifth team, where he did not stay long. For the rest of the season, Maradona played for the main squad.

Maradona’s two more brothers, Raúl and Hugo, and a sister Claudia were born later. His football success did not ease the family’s financial situation, but his father supported him, hoping Diego would succeed and pull the family out of poverty. Even after working two shifts (morning and evening), he always took Diego to the club during the day.

“Barcelona”

In summer 1982, the Catalan club bought Diego Maradona for a record $7.5 million at the time. Due to injury, he missed much of the season but participated in important tournaments such as the Copa del Rey, the Spanish Super Cup, and the Spanish League Cup, which the club won.

Maradona played 58 matches for Barcelona, scoring 38 goals. He was plagued by misfortunes, from hepatitis to injuries, and had constant conflicts with the club’s management. Despite this, Spanish fans recognized him as the best player of the club. At one point, Maradona even wanted to buy out his contract and leave.

“Napoli”

In 1984, the Italian club paid $10 million for Maradona, causing a sensation in the transfer market. Even during Diego’s presentation at the stadium, 7,000 spectators attended. His time at Napoli is considered the most important and best period in his international career.

At Napoli, Maradona became the club’s top scorer in history, won two Serie A titles (Scudetto), and the UEFA Cup. The club also finished third and second in the Italian Cup and Super Cup. His successful period at Napoli was interrupted by a positive doping test, resulting in a 15-month suspension.

“Sevilla and Newell’s Old Boys”

After serving his suspension, Maradona did not return to Napoli but signed with Sevilla. He did not stay long due to conflicts with the head coach.

After Sevilla, he joined Newell’s Old Boys, but the explosive character of Diego again caused conflicts with the coach, leading to his departure.

Later, an incident occurred where Maradona fired an air rifle at paparazzi waiting outside his home. For this, he received a two-year suspended sentence and had to compensate for moral and physical damages.

“Boca Juniors”

After a break, Maradona returned to big football. He played about 30 matches for Boca Juniors, regaining fan love. Unfortunately, a doping test was positive again, leading to another suspension.

After the suspension, Maradona returned briefly to football but soon had to retire. His last match was in 1997 at age 37.

Coaching Career

Maradona started coaching even before officially ending his playing career. In 1994, he became the coach of Deportivo Mandiyú, but this experience ended with a fight involving one of the club’s owners. He later coached Racing Club but achieved no significant results.

Lack of coaching success did not prevent Maradona from being entrusted to coach the Argentina national team in 2008. He did not win the 2010 World Cup but proved to be a worthy coach. After the tournament, the football association decided not to renew his contract.

In subsequent years, he coached Al Wasl in the UAE, becoming more famous for scandals than results. He was asked to leave early. Then he coached Al-Fujairah, Dorados de Sinaloa, Dinamo Brest, and the Argentine club Gimnasia y Esgrima. In November 2019, Maradona resigned, later changed his mind, but the COVID-19 pandemic altered his plans.

How Many Goals Did Diego Maradona Score?

A tenacious midfielder who could play as a playmaker and forward, Maradona had an amazing ability to control the ball. He did not score a huge number of goals but created many scoring opportunities for teammates.

Compared to modern footballers, the number of goals scored by the Argentine might seem small. His value was in his unparalleled ball control.

Matches and Goals at Club Level

For the Argentina national team, Maradona played 91 matches and scored 34 goals, 7 of which were at World Cups. In total, the legendary footballer scored 292 goals at club and national levels.

The “Hand of God” and the “Goal of the Century” — Maradona’s Two Most Famous Goals

Maradona played for Argentina in 1982, 1986, 1990, and 1994. Of the 34 goals scored for the national team, two are the most memorable and forever etched in football history.

Both were scored against England in 1986. In the quarterfinal, Maradona scored a goal with his hand, which the referee mistakenly allowed. Later, the player said it was not his hand but the hand of God, which earned him the famous nickname.

Another goal against England at the 1986 World Cup was called the “Goal of the Century.” Maradona took the ball, dribbled past a crowd of English defenders, and beat the goalkeeper.

Maradona’s Technique

Diego Maradona’s play featured unusual football moves like tossing, flicking, and rolling the ball. The Argentine easily dribbled past opponents, passed accurately, had a powerful left-foot shot, could score with his head from any position, and performed various feints. He learned all these techniques during childhood and youth.

His main element was fighting spirit. Losing the ball, he never lagged behind the opponent until he won it back. Another unique trait was his excellent vision of the field. These qualities allowed Maradona to maneuver well, maintain balance, and be indispensable on the pitch.

Most experts agree that the clubs Maradona played for benefitted immensely from his abilities. Without him, many victories would not have been possible.