Remembering Diego Maradona
30 October 1960 – 25 November 2020
The World Cup-winning captain of Argentina’s 1986 team, Diego Maradona suffered a heart stroke at his home and died. He is acknowledged by many as the most prominent player to ever play the game, often vying with the likes of Pele, Messi and Ronaldo in the talks of the greatest player of all time.
Maradona has been troubled by his health problems in recent years, earlier this month he also underwent a successful surgery for a blood clot on his brain. The former Napoli legend and Argentina international consequently enrolled in a rejuvenation clinic to be administered for his alcohol dependency.
Reports from Argentina stated the passing away of the legendary forward following suffering a heart attack at home in Tigre, aged 60. Maradona had a distinguished career which saw him play for Boca Juniors, Argentinos Juniors, Napoli, Barcelona, Sevilla and Newell’s Old Boys
Maradona’s most famous spell came from Napoli as he helped the then Italian outfit to two Serie A titles. His greatest achievement came while he played for Argentina, as he was the one who led his nation to glory at the 1986 World Cup, he scored the ‘Hand of God’ and ‘Goal of the Century’ in only one game against England.
After he retired, Maradona then turned to management, including a spell in charge of Argentina’s where he helped them lead to the 2010 World Cup. Maradona was also in charge of Argentine club side Gimnasia de La Plata at the time of his death. Crystal Palace will be hosting Newcastle for Premier League clash at Selhurst Park Stadium, London, England on Saturday, 28th November, at 01:30 AM IST.
Early Life:
Maradona was born on October 30, 1960; his natural talent was noticed early on when he was just eight on the fields of Villa Fiorito, which was a slum in Buenos Aires. Video footage of Maradona as a young boy juggling a soccer ball, he nurtured his talent by playing with friends into the night.
His coach, Francisco Cornejo, was the primary one to recognize his potential, he endorsed Maradona for Argentinos Juniors’s youth team, which led to a 136-game unbeaten run. Maradona eventually made his debut in the country’s top tier in 1976, just merely ten days before he turned 16 and he was the league’s leading scorer for three consecutive seasons from 1978. He moved to Boca Juniors in 1981 and helped them to win the league championship.
The goal of the Century:
Even though this goal has become the most infamous goal in football history, Maradona’s second goal in that game was voted the best goal in the 20th Century in a vote held in 2002 by FIFA, the sport’s ruling body. After collecting a pass inside his half, Maradona dribbled at full speed past four England players and rolled that ball into the net from a tight angle just as the defender Terry Fenwick slid in to tackle him.
His lifetime pattern to mix brilliance with contention was encapsulated by the goal scored just five minutes apart. Victor Hugo Morales’s emotion while announcing that the second goal is etched into the national memory, he shouted: “What planet did you come from?” He was out of sigh when he shouted: “Thank you, God, for soccer, for Maradona”.
