Sports
5 Things To Know About The Legend Of Diego Maradona
Yesterday, November 25, 2020, the global media space was set ablaze by perhaps the most breaking news in the football world in the third Millennium. Diego Armando Maradona, arguably the best player in the history of the round leather game had transcended to the realm beyond in the wake of a malignant heart attack.
Maradona, like many a legend who had risen to the highest pinnacle of any given human endeavour, became a household name who resonated even amongst those who held little or no interest in the sport as well as those born long after his active years in the game.
As the deluge of tributes continues to pour out to honour the life and accomplishments of an all-time great, Eko Hot Blog takes you through 5 things to know about the man, the myth, the genius, the cheat, the golden boy who became a god, the one & only Diego Maradona.
(1) Professional Debut: Maradona made his professional debut on the eve of his 16th birthday, with local side Argentinos Juniors. Few minutes after debuting, Maradona kicked the ball through Juan Domingo Cabrera’s legs, making a nutmeg that would become legendary. After the game, Maradona said, “That day I felt I had held the sky in my hands.”
Maradona spent five years at Argentinos Juniors, from 1976 to 1981, scoring 115 goals in 167 appearances before his US$ 4 million transfer to Boca Juniors.
(2) Barcelona: After the 1982 world cup, in June, Maradona was transferred to Barcelona in Spain for a then world-record fee of £5 million ($7.6 million). On 26 June 1983, Barcelona defeated Real Madrid on the road in one of the world’s biggest club games, El Classico, a match where Maradona scored and became the first Barcelona player to be applauded by archrival Real Madrid fans. Maradona dribbled past Madrid goalkeeper Agustin, and as he approached the empty goal, he stopped just as Madrid defender Juan Josè came sliding in a desperate attempt to block the shot and ended up crashing into the post before Maradona slotted the ball into the net. The manner of the goal led many inside the stadium to start applauding.
Due to illness and injury as well as controversial incidents on the field, Maradona had a difficult tenure in Barcelona, particularly fueled by a broken ankle in a La Liga game at the Camp Nou in September 1983 caused by an ill-timed tackle by Athletic Bilbao’s Andoni Goikoetxea, which threatened to jeopardize Maradona’s career, but with treatment and therapy, it was possible for him to return to the pitch after a three-month recovery period.
READ ALSO: Maradona’s Body Arrives Presidential Palace Argentina
During the Final of the Copa Del Rey match against Athletic Bilbao in the 1983-84 season, Goikoetxea, who was famed for making strong and very tough tackles made another rough tackle on Maradona, wounding the Argentine. By the end of the game a mass brawl had ensued, Barcelona and Bilbao’s players brawled on the field with Maradona in the centre of the action, kicking and punching anyone in a Bilbao shirt.
(3) Naples: After two seasons with Barcelona which was largely marred by injuries, Maradona joined Italian side, Napoli, for another world record fee of £6.9m. At Naples he instantaneously became a cult hero, reaching the peak of his professional career: he soon inherited the captain’s armband from Napoli veteran defender Giuseppe Bruscolotti and quickly became an adored star among the club’s fans; in his time there he elevated the team to the most successful era in its history. Led by Maradona, Napoli won its first-ever Serie A title in the 1986-87 season, sparking wild jubilation in the Italian Penninsula who had for long lived under the shadow of the Northern and Central teams like Juventus, Milan and Roma. Maradona won the league again with Napoli in the 1988-89 season, alongside a long list of personal and team accolades that make him a god in the city of Naples to this day.
(4) National Hero: Maradona represented Argentina in four world cup tournaments, between 1982-1994. He captained the national side in the showcase in 1986, held in Mexico, where he produced exceptional genius and trickery to lead the side to glory, particularly in the quarter-finals of the competition against England where he scored the famous “hand of God’ goal as well as a goal that came to be regarded as the goal of the century, driving past scores of English defenders and rounding the goalie before sliding the ball into the empty net.
(5) Personal Life: Maradona’s personal life was blighted by recurring drug addictions which ultimately culminated in a 15-month ban from football during his time at Napoli. His career took a downward plunge after his time at Naples, nonetheless had been etched in gold following an exhibition of exceptional brilliance never seen before and never to be seen again.
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