Maradona: flawed genius
Diego Maradona, the Argentine football great whoscored the “Hand of God” goal in 1986 and led his country to that year’s Worldcup title before later struggling with cocaine use and obesity, has died. Hewas 60.
Maradona’s spokesman, Sebastia´nsanchi, said he died of a heart attack, two weeks after being released from a hospital in Buenos Aires following brain surgery.
The office of Argentina’s president said it will decree three days of national mourning.
Oneof the most famous momentsin the history of the sport, the “Hand of God” goal, camewhen the diminutive Maradona punched the ball into England’s net during the 1986 Worldcupquarter-finals.
Ahead of his 60th birthday in October, Maradona told France Football magazine that itwashis dream to “score another goal against the English, this time with the right hand”.
Maradona also captivated fans around the world over a twodecade career with a bewitching style of play thatwas all his own.
Although his reputationwas tarnished by his addictions and an ill-fated spell in charge of the national team, he remained idolised in football-mad Argentina as the “Pibe de Oro” or “Golden Boy.”
“You took us to the top of the world,” Argentine President Alfredo Ferna´ndez said on social media.
“Youmadeus incredibly happy. Youwere the greatest of all.”
Theno 10 he wore on his jersey becamesynonymous with him, as it also had with Pele´, the Brazilian great withwhommaradonawas regularly paired as the best of all time.
The Brazilian said in a statement he had lost “a dear friend”.
“There ismuchmoreto say, but fornowmaygodgive his family strength,” Pele´ said.
“One day, I hope, wewill play soccer together in the sky.”
Bold, fast and utterly unpredictable, Maradonawasa master of attack, juggling the ball easily from one foot to the other as he raced upfield.
Dodging and weaving with his low centre of gravity, he shrugged off countless rivals and often scored with a devastating left foot, his most powerful weapon.
“Everything he was thinking in his head, hemadeit happen with his feet,” said Salvatore Bagni, who played with Maradona at Italian club Napoli.
Aballooning waistline slowed Maradona’s explosive speed later in his career and by 1991 hewas snared in his first doping scandal whenhe admitted to a cocaine habit that haunted himuntil he retired in 1997, at 37.
Hospitalised near death in2000 and again in ‘04 for heart problems blamed on cocaine, he later said he overcame the drug problem. Cocaine, he once said famously, had proven to be his “toughest rival”.
Butmorehealth problems followed, despite a 2005gastric bypass that greatly trimmed his weight.
Maradonawas hospitalised in early 2007 for acute hepatitis that his doctor blamed on excessive drinking and eating.
Hemadean unlikely return to the national team in2008whenhe wasappointed Argentina coach, but after a quarter-final exit at the 2010 Worldcup in South Africa, he wasousted— ultimately pickingup another coaching job with the United Arab Emirates club Al Wasl.
In 2001, Fifanamedmaradona one of the two greatest in the sport’s history, alongside Pele´.
“Maradona inspires us,” said then-argentina striker Carlos Tevez, explaining his country’s everyman fascination with Maradona at the 2006 Worldcup in Germany. “He’s our idol, and an idol for the people.”
Maradona reaped titles athome and abroad, playing in the early 1980s for Argentinos Juniors and Boca Juniors before moving on to Spanish and Italian clubs. His crowning achievement cameat the 1986 World Cup, captaining Argentina in their 3-2 win over West Germanyin the final and decisive in a 2-1 victory against England in a feisty quarter-final match.
Over the protests of England goalkeeper Peter Shilton, the referee let stand a goal by Maradona in which, as he admitted years later, he intentionally hit the ball with his hand in “a bit of mischief”.
But Maradona’s impact wouldn’t be confined to cheating. Four minutes later, he spectacularly weavedpast four opponents from midfield to beat Shilton for what FIFA later declared the greatest goal in Worldcuphistory.
Manyargentines sawthe match as revenge for their country’s loss to Britain in the 1982 war over the Falkland Islands, which Argentines still claim as “Las Malvinas.”
“It wasourwayof recovering ‘Las Malvinas,”’ Maradona wrote in his2000autobiography I amdiego.
“It wasmore than trying to win a game. Wesaid thegamehad nothing to do with the war. Butwe knewthat Argentines had died there, that they had killed them like birds. Andthis wasour revenge. It wassomething bigger than us: We were defending our flag.”
It also wasvindication for Maradona, whoin whathe later called “the greatest tragedy” of his careerwas cut from the squad of the 1978 World Cup— which Argentinawonathome— because hewasonly 17.
Maradona said he wasgiven a soccer ball soon after he could run.
“Iwas 3 years old and I slept hugging that ball all night,” he said.
At 10, Maradona gained fame by performing at halftime of professional matches, wowing crowds by keeping the ball airborne for minutes with his feet, chest and head. Healsomadehis playing debut with the Argentinos Juniors youth team, leading the squad through 136 unbeaten matches.
“To see him playwaspure bliss, true stardom,” teammate Carlos Beltran said.
Drug problems overshadowed his final playing years.
Maradona failed a doping test in 1991 andwas banned for 15 months, acknowledging his longtime cocaine addiction. Hefailed another doping test for stimulants andwasthrown out of the 1994 Worldcupin the United States.
In retirement, Maradona frequented Boca matches as a raucous one-man cheering section and took part in worldwide charity, sporting and exhibition events.
Victorhugomorales, Argentina’s most popular football broadcaster, said Maradona will ultimately be remembered for a thrilling style of play that has never been duplicated.
“He has been one of the great artists ofmytime. Like great masters of music and painting, he has defied our intellect and enriched thehumanspirit,” Morales said. “Nobody has thrilledmemore and leftmein suchaweas Diego.”
— AP
Everything he was thinking in his head, he made it happen with his feet.