In the early morning of November 26, 2020, Beijing time, many media in Argentina reported that Maradona died of a sudden cardiac arrest at home at the age of 60. A generation of stars has fallen. Argentina mourns the country and fans all over the world commemorate it. Maradona not only has the titles of “The King of the Century” and “God of the Stadium”, he is also one of the most controversial legendary stars in the history of world football. His life has been ups and downs, and his maverick is especially interesting for fans. So, as the “Century King” and “God of the Stadium”, what kind of ups and downs, maverick and legendary life does Maradona have?
The king of football is born: a football genius who kicks the ball with his left foot
In the early morning of October 30, 1960, in the town of Vila Fiorito on the outskirts of the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires, a farmer was woken up by his wife who was about to give birth: “I’m going to give birth, hurry up and call a doctor! ”
When the hands of the clock stopped at 7:05, a baby boy’s cry came from the room. In the loud cry, the extremely excited farmer named his son “Diego Armando Maradona”.
When Maradona was 3 years old, he received a precious birthday gift from his father, a leather football. Because the football is too big, Maradona can’t hold it with both hands, and simply uses his left foot to kick the ball. 23 years later, it was this left foot that kicked the ball into the England team in the World Cup. The goal created the most magical goal in World Cup history.
Seeing Maradona happily kicking the ball, his father was secretly worried. Because the town of Vila Fiorito is a slum, and Maradona’s family of 10 people are crowded into two small houses in this slum. The winter is bitterly cold and the summer heat is unbearable. Every rainy day, the house is Keep leaking. Although his father gets up at 4 am every day to make money to support his family, he can barely make ends meet.
Because of his poor family, football became Maradona’s only childhood toy. In the slums, he has no access to wonderful art and no good education, and his greatest interest and hobby is to play football with his friends on the street every day. Football does not require tall stadiums or luxurious equipment, as long as a football is enough, and the run-down and desolate street is the football stadium of Maradona. Regarding this childhood, Maradona, who became famous, wrote in his autobiography, “In Villa Fiorito, adults know where to find me, behind the ever-turning football.”
However, Maradona soon discovered that there are fewer and fewer friends playing with him, because he is so talented that no one can beat him! Finally, the God of Destiny favored Maradona. With his extraordinary talent and diligent practice, this left-footed football genius not only walked out of the slum, but also went to the world and entered the hearts of countless fans.
The first flight of the eagle: a football prodigy out of the slum
The poor family situation caused Maradona to drop out of school at the age of 10. Because of his talent in football, he was selected to the small onion team under the Argentine Youth Club. However, long-term malnutrition, thin and short, he looked much smaller than his peers, and he was almost turned away. However, after he showed his extraordinary skills, the coach decisively made the decision and left him.
Many years later, although Maradona was famous for his “Hand of God”, his real advantage was his feet. Under normal circumstances, the size of the feet is proportional to the height of a person, but he is different. Although he is short in stature, his feet are wide and big. For Maradona, these big feet are undoubtedly a boon. Relying on these big feet, his ball-driving skills and ball-handling ability are far beyond ordinary people, and he quickly made him stand out on the court.
At that time, some football games required teenagers over the age of 14 to participate, but Maradona played so well, even better than those older kids. As soon as the coach gritted his teeth, he falsely reported the age of the 11-year-old Maradona as 14 years old and went to participate in the competition. The result was a big victory. Under the leadership of Maradona, the Little Onion Heads set an amazing historical record-winning 136 consecutive games, which quickly attracted the attention of reporters.
Therefore, on September 28, 1971, a football prodigy named “Caladona” appeared in the newspapers of Argentina because the reporter misspelled Maradona’s name.
Three months later, Maradona made his first appearance on TV. By this time no one would misspell his name again, because as his fame grew, the whole Argentina knew about the Little Onion There is such a football prodigy from a slum.
On August 14, 1975, Maradona was promoted to the adult team of the Youth Club and was also included in the list of professional matches in the first division. He became the youngest player in the A League. October 20, 1975 was a day he will never forget. On this day, Maradona came off the bench in the First Division and for the first time boarded the top court in Argentina. In 1978, he led the Argentina team to win the World Youth Championship and won the Golden Globe for the best player in the event.
In the five years of playing for the Argentine youth team, Maradona participated in 166 games and scored 116 goals, raising the youth team from the 20th place in the A League to the runner-up in the A League. During this period, he won the Argentine Golden Boot for the best scorer of the year 3 times, the Golden Boot for the top scorer of the Al A League 3 times, and the Golden Boot for the best scorer of the Argentine National Championship twice. The scenery is infinite.
In 1981, Maradona moved to the Boca youth team and scored 28 goals in 40 games and won his first league championship in his life. In 1982, he represented Argentina in the World Cup for the first time and staged his World Cup debut. Although he failed to lead Argentina to the championship, he played 5 World Cup matches and performed very well.
Vs. Real Madrid: applause at the Bernabéu Stadium
In July 1982, Maradona transferred to the Spanish Barcelona team for a record value of 9 million U.S. dollars. At the time, everyone in Barcelona regarded him as the savior who defeated Real Madrid.
Maradona did not live up to everyone’s expectations. In the subsequent game against Real Madrid, he drove through the barriers alone, broke through the entire defense of Real Madrid, and successfully shot the ball into the goal. Maradona’s outstanding performance even made Real Madrid fans applaud him, and he became the first Barcelona player in history to win the full applause at Real Madrid’s home stadium.
In 1983, Maradona led Barcelona to defeat Real Madrid and win the Copa del Rey. While harvesting flowers and applause, Maradona was also jealous of his opponents. In a game just three months after defeating Real Madrid, Maradona was tackled by a Bilbao player who had his ankle tackled and was injured and suspended for nearly four months.
In the Copa del Rey in 1984, King Carlos of Spain came to the game in person to watch Maradona’s comeback after his injury, but in his comeback, a jaw-dropping scene happened.
Because this time Maradona’s opponent team happened to be the Bilbao team, the enemies met and were extremely jealous. After being knocked down by the opposing player again and again, Maradona finally couldn’t restrain himself. Temper, got up and kicked at the opposing player. As a result, under the eyes of the Spanish king, Maradona’s comeback turned into a group fight of more than 30 people, and the scene was chaotic.
Although Maradona scored 38 goals in 58 games during his two years with Barcelona, the gang fight on the stadium became the fuse for him to leave Barcelona and transfer again.
Transfer to Serie A: The “God of the Stadium” of Naples
On July 5, 1984, Maradona joined the Serie A Naples team with a high transfer fee of 7.5 million US dollars. The Pampas eagle hovered high above the Apennine Peninsula, looking forward to the moment of soaring into the sky again.
Before Maradona joined, the Naples team was just a distracted underdog who had been struggling to stay on the verge of relegation. However, Maradona only took three years and made the Naples team from one team. The underdogs who have been defeated and defeated led to the upstart of Serie A, and later led the Naples team to the podium of the Serie A championship twice, which made the world admire.
In the year that Maradona was signed, the Naples team changed their previous slump and finished eighth in Serie A. Since then, the team has shown an amazing upward momentum, rising to third place in 1985. Under the leadership of Maradona, Naples finally won the first Serie A championship in 1987. This is the first league championship in the history of the Naples team in 80 years. In 1988, Maradona won the Serie A Golden Boot for the best scorer. In 1989, he led the Naples team to win the UEFA Cup for the first time. In 1990, under his leadership, the Naples team won the Serie A championship again.
In the Naples team, Maradona proved his strength to the world, and also explained to the world what is meant by “one-person team”. Because of this, he is called “God of the Stadium” by the fans of Naples. The title, for him, is indeed well-deserved.
Although Maradona’s club career is a great one, it is not enough to make him crowned “the king of the ball.” What really pushed him to the throne of the ball was his extraordinary performance in leading the Argentina team in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.
Hand of God: Revenge on the World Cup
Speaking of Maradona’s legendary life, “God’s Hand” is a topic that cannot be bypassed.
On June 29, 1986, at the Aztec Stadium in Mexico, Maradona stood in the center of the World Cup quarter-finals. The shouts of 100,000 fans echoed around him.
Four years ago, Argentina defeated Britain in the Falklands War; four years later, the quarter-finals of the World Cup between Argentina and England were full of revenge. As a result, in the World Cup against England, Maradona led the Argentine team to stage a lively revenge on the football field.
In the 51st minute of the second half of the game, Maradona first distributed the ball to the wide teammate Valdano. The latter’s shot was blocked by England goalkeeper Hilton. Facing the tall Hilton, Maradona felt that it was very difficult to compete for the header, so he had an idea and hit the ball into the goal with his hands. Due to Maradona’s short stature, his movements are very concealed and quick, Hilton did not see how he hit the goal between the sparks and flints, and Tunisia referee Nasser did not find out, and declared the goal valid. An England defender argued with the referee, but the outcome cannot be changed. This is the famous “Hand of God” event and the most classic scene in football history.
Due to the Falklands War four years ago, Maradona insisted that the goal was God’s punishment for the English. In the press conference after the match, he declared that the goal was “half of God’s hand and half of Maradona’s head”, thinking that God is the ultimate ruler of whether a goal is scored or not. The term “God’s hand” is derived from This produces.
From the slow motion of the playback, it is not difficult to find that Maradona did indeed hit the goal with his hands, but the referee did not see it, so the goal was determined to be valid. So Maradona scored the first goal of that game with the “hand of God”. In this way, with extraordinary strength and luck, Maradona wrote the most dramatic stroke in the history of the World Cup.
Subsequently, Maradona added to the history of football the most impressive stroke, that is, his second goal in this game. This goal was selected by FIFA as the “Best Goal of the Century” in 2002, and it has become a well-known classic and legend.
Century Goal: One Man’s World Cup
Just three minutes after the “Hand of God” scored, Maradona made another effort in midfield. One man drove the ball for 60 meters. After 12 dribbles, he ran 44 steps and passed 5 people with the ball. , Finally broke through the goalkeeper’s defense and successfully scored the Argentine team’s second goal, creating an unparalleled miracle in football history!
After taking the lead with the “Hand of God” goal, Maradona once again shocked the world with a heroic goal of more than five consecutive people, tossing and breaking through the enemy line, like a demon descending from the sky, how can he be so cool! In an instant, Maradona became the “devil” most feared by all Englishmen.
The game against the England team allowed the world to witness the myth of a man defeating a strong football team. For Maradona’s goal of the century, the England coach, Robson, commented: “We maintain a perfect formation. , Did not make any mistakes, but the opponent is a genius, that is really a damn miracle.”
This perfect goal by Maradona helped the Argentine team to seal the victory 2:1, eventually knocking out England and qualifying for the semi-finals. Argentina was defeated by Britain in the Falklands War, and nearly 10,000 people were captured. Maradona’s “Hand of God” and “Goal of the Century” are generally regarded as revenge for the English. In this war without gunpowder, Maradona used his own power to promote his country and become a national hero in the minds of the Argentines.
Under the brave leadership of Maradona, the Argentine team went all the way to the World Cup finals. In the finals, facing the Federal Republic of Germany, he assisted his teammates and scored at the last minute, helping the team narrowly beat the opponent 3:2. Won the World Cup.
In that World Cup, Argentina scored 14 goals in 7 games, while Maradona contributed 5 goals and 5 assists, and 3 indirect assists. One person participated in 14 goals. 13 of the balls. At the peak of his career, Maradona showed his personal talents to the fullest on the court. It can be said that he led the Argentine team to the World Cup by himself. It is precisely because of Maradona that the Argentina team is called the “one-man team”, and the World Cup is also called the “one-man World Cup.”
There are many classic pictures in the history of the World Cup. There is no doubt that Maradona wrote the most spectacular chapter of personal heroism in the 1986 World Cup. He is a genius and a devil. A “Hand of God” and a “Goal of the Century” have laid down an endless legend in his life.
Heroic twilight: “Football King” who lost himself
With the advent of various honors, Maradona gradually lost himself in drunkenness and feasting, and began to be contaminated with various vices, such as drug abuse, alcohol abuse, and sexual abuse… These behaviors not only caused him to be criticized, but also to be healthy. And career has also been severely affected.
Although Maradona is a well-deserved football king on the pitch, he has never been perfect in his private life. Emotionally, Maradona lingered in the flowers, incurring numerous romantic debts, and the rumor of an illegitimate child once discredited him. And his contacts with the head of the Italian gangsters have caused huge controversy. What is even more embarrassing is that he failed to resist the temptation of drugs, became addicted to drugs, and failed to quit in his entire life.
Due to long-term drug abuse, alcoholism, and sexual abuse, Maradona’s health deteriorated daily, and he also fell from the peak of his career, paying a painful price for his indulgence.
In 1991, Maradona was banned for 15 months due to drug use before the game. After the expiration of the suspension, he left the Naples team and switched to the Spanish Sevilla team, returning to Argentina a year later to join the Newell club. During the 1994 World Cup, although he led the Argentina team to participate in two matches and scored a goal, he was banned again for 15 months due to drug use. He lost Maradona’s Argentina team and ended up in 1 Was eliminated in the /8 finals.
In 1995, Maradona, who had survived the suspension period, returned to the Boca team, but due to prolonged alcoholism, drug abuse and suspension, coupled with unrestrained indulgence, he has been unable to return to his peak state. Until 1997, the heroic Maradona finally announced his retirement and ended his career.
In 2001, Maradona played a farewell match at the Candy Box Stadium, home of the Boca Juniors. Now that the hero is late, the once lost football king, watching the tearful fans in the field, the 41-year-old Maradona bowed his head and sobbed, choked with a thousand words that could not be said.
The end of the legend: goodbye, century king!
From his debut in the Al A A League in October 1975 to the official announcement of his retirement on October 29, 1997, Maradona’s 22-year green campaign has left fans too many wonderful memories.
In his 22-year career, Maradona has played for 6 teams including Argentine Youth, Boca Youth, Barcelona, Naples, Sevilla and Newell Boys. He has participated in 679 games and scored in total. With 345 balls, he won many honors including the 1979 World Youth Championship, the 1983 Spanish Copa del Rey, the 1986 World Cup champion, the Golden Globe, the 1987 and 1990 Serie A champions. In 2001, he was selected by FIFA as the “Best Player of the 20th Century” and became the world’s recognized king of the century.
On the court, Maradona is the idol of countless people. He not only has precise footwork and skilled dribbling skills, but also the soul of the team. Despite his short stature, he can always lead the team to the championship by himself, which explains why the Naples and Argentina teams are called “one-man team” and why the 1986 World Cup is called For “One Man’s World Cup”.
Throughout Maradona’s life, despite his rebellious character, alcoholism, drug addiction, and life indulgence, and because of his ups and downs, he is still the god of war of the Argentine team, the god of the Naples team, and the god of the court. His brilliant record has made him the world-recognized “Century King”. Full of legend and controversy, it is undoubtedly the best footnote in his life.
He is the devil in the eyes of opponents, he is the angel in the eyes of teammates, he is the god in the hearts of fans, he is the national hero in the hearts of Argentines, and he is the football king who lost himself in desire. Just as basketball made Jordan, boxing made Tyson, and music made Michael Jackson, it was football that made Maradona’s legend and greatness. Now that the king has passed away, the legend has ended, only the fans sighed! Goodbye, Maradona! Goodbye, the maverick of the century!
