In Memory of Diego Maradona

Gabriel Gonzalez (G9)

Published Issue 2 2020-2021

Sports

The Hand of God

However, as successful as he was in Italy, one would be wrong to assume that it is his club career that earned Maradona his place as one of the best of all time. In reality, his coronation came on the 29th of June, 1986, when Maradona lifted the World Cup trophy with Argentina after a thrilling 3-2 victory over West Germany in which Maradona assisted the winning goal in the 85th minute of the match. However, there is one moment even more famous and perhaps the most perfect coincidence in the history of the beautiful game. During the quarter finals of the tournament, Argentina defeated England 2-1 with both goals coming from Maradona. One of them among the greatest ever, the other perhaps the worst. In the 51st minute of the match the ball went in towards Maradona in England’s box. The English keeper went to grab the ball, believing that he would be able to keep the ball from ever reaching Maradona’s head. Only the ball didn’t hit his head. Instead, it hit his hand, or as Maradona would later put it, “The Hand of God”. The England players were outraged by the goal but the referee let the goal stand, believing because of the angle that Maradona had headed the ball. Then, just 4 minutes later Maradona dribbled through a demoralized England team and scored one of the most brilliant solo goals in history. These two goals are Maradona’s most famous and they are surprisingly representative of who he is as a person. One side, brilliant and godlike, the other side cheating and maniacal, much like the two faced person Maradona is remembered as today. Regardless, it was his performance in the 1986 World Cup that would ultimately define him as a player, a legend and a God.

World Star

In 1982, Maradona joined FC Barcelona for a world record payment of 7.5 million US dollars and he quickly began to prove himself as a world star. Although he did not enjoy the most successful times of his career in Barcelona, Maradona did have one big moment and it came in a match away to Barcelona’s arch rivals Real Madrid. In this match, Maradona led his team to a win with a brilliant goal in which his immense dribbling skills were put on full display. In fact, Maradona earned an applause from the Real Madrid fans for his goal. However, despite this, Maradona was not meant to stay at Barcelona. In his time there he struggled through injuries and his departure was sealed after he was involved in a brawl after a 1-0 loss. Maradona had been receiving racial slurs from the crowd related to his native american ancestry during the match and after a player on the opposing team provoked him, Maradona did not back down. The brawl that followed left a political mess in the hands of FC Barcelona, so it was no surprise when Maradona was sold to Napoli in Naples, Italy, again for a world record fee.

The Best in the World

At Napoli, Maradona thrived, carrying the team to their first two league titles and a long list of runner-up finishes. When he had first arrived, the fans believed that Maradona would be the one to bring them to glory, and they were absolutely right. Although Maradona never experienced the success that he might have had, he joined a greater team, it is perhaps a greater feat to make an average team great than to make a great team better. Maradona was undoubtedly Napolis best player and arguably the best player in the world during most of his years in Italy.

Many people today remember Diego Maradona as a man whose life was destroyed by drug addiction and as the man who scored the infamous “hand of god” goal. However many others see him only as the player he was before his fall, the god-like athlete who led Argentina to the world cup trophy. In reality, it is a mistake to try to categorize him in either of these, for one person can, in their life, reach the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.

The Road to Professional

Diego Armando Maradona was born on October 30th, 1960 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Maradona was part of a family of soccer players and he quickly proved to be no different. It is said that he received his first soccer ball as a gift when he was three and quickly devoted himself to the sport before being signed to play for the junior team of the Argentinian pro team, “Argentinos Juniors”. During his formative years, it is said that the Brazilian playmaker Rivellino and Welsh winger George Best were his inspirations.

Growing Talent

Maradona made his debut for Argentinos Juniors when he was just 15 years old and quickly impressed despite his age. During his debut there was a famous moment where Maradona put the ball through the legs of one of his opponents with ease and sprinted away before they could do anything about it. This moment would foreshadow him becoming one of ,if not, the greatest dribbling players of all time. He would then go on to spend five years on the junior team before going to Boca Juniors for a transfer of 4 million US dollars, a sizable fee at the time but justified as Maradona had dominated the Argentine league despite being so young. However, just one year and an Argentinian league title later, Maradona would be going to Europe.

The Fall

Unfortunately, not all stories end happily and Maradona’s was one that absolutely did not. After failing a drug test for cocaine, Maradona left Napoli in shame and retired a couple years later, a shell of his former self. Even before the drug incident, Maradona was fined constantly by Napoli for missing practices and games and he faced multiple scandals, including one regarding an illegitimate son and another regarding his perceived relation to a criminal organization.

The End

The epic tale of Diego Maradona is not just a story about the rise and fall of a man but also an important lesson for everyone to understand. The lesson that it is best not to judge people by the worst mistakes or their greatest successes but by a combination of both. In Argentina, Diego Maradona is viewed as a God. The man that brought them a world cup while Lionel Messi, who most people view as the best of all time, is seen as lesser when compared to Diego Maradona by Argentina. But while the people of Argentina love him, many people choose to view him as a wasted talent, or a bad person due to his immense and numerous mistakes. And yet neither of these messages gives the full picture of Diego Maradona, only the side that those people want to see.

This is the message that is left to you now, and I ask you to take it to heart, in memory of Diego Armando Maradona (1960-2020)

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