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Buenos Aires (AFP)
Argentine Diego Maradona, who died on Wednesday at age 60, was not only a “supernatural” sports star, he was not like Pelé, Beckenbauer or Di Stefano. The headlines of newspaper pages, but for other reasons, can not always be placed in the category of positives.
Maradona has occupied the world with his talents and problems, and inevitably everyone will remember him as that player who won the world with his genius and lost himself to drugs and walked away from football stadiums, after this stimulant drugged his style and art and will transfer it from the goal to the amazement of the judges, the courts and the corridors of the medical laboratories.
Diego Maradona was born on October 30, 1960 in Lanos, a poor neighborhood in Buenos Aires.
He began his career with Argentinos Juniors before he turned sixteen, and then began his career with his country in 1977.
At seventeen he said: “I have two dreams, the first to participate in the World Cup and the second to win.”
Maradona, who was chosen as the athlete of the century in Argentina, in his dealings with the World Cup championships in various stages, passed his sweetness and went through a period of 16 years.
The relationship of the golden boy of Argentine soccer with the World Cup began with disappointment when coach César Luis Menotti ignored him when choosing his official squad for the 1978 World Cup due to his young age and lack of experience.
Maradona said after his exclusion: “It is the saddest day of my life, when Minotti told me that he had chosen another player in my place, I went back to my room and burst into tears.”
Maradona watched his country’s national team matches on television and saw captain Daniel Passarella and Mario Campes, the tournament’s top scorer, lead Argentina to their first title amid hysterical joy on the Argentine streets.
– Baby de Oro –
But “El Pepe de Oro” was part of Minotti’s squad the following year to lead his country, but rather to win the U-20 World Cup in Japan, where he won the Best Player award.
He participated for the first time in the World Cup in Spain 82 and it was an opportunity for him to recover what he lost in the previous World Cup. And because Argentina was the title holder, attention shone on her and Maradona earned a spot of light, especially since she had signed a contract to move to Barcelona, Spain.
Despite scoring two goals, the incident of his expulsion in the match against Brazil in the round of 16 remained in the memory.
It reached its climax in 86 at the World Cup in Mexico City, when it led its country to the second title after 1978.
The World Cup 86 can be called the World Cup of Maradona because the Argentine star printed the tournament with his own character and his solo game was the key to winning.
Since Argentina’s first game in 1986 against South Korea, the determination of the South Americans to win the cup became clear, and Maradona contributed three passes, including his country’s goals against the Asian team.
Then Maradona opened his goal tally with a beautiful goal against Italy, and the two teams drew 1-1.
Maradona also won the game against Bulgaria (2-0) and passed a decisive ball to his colleague Jorge Boruchaga. He also contributed to the 1-0 victory over Uruguay in the second round, but saved the best for the following rounds.
The match against England was well known because it had acquired a political character as a result of the Maloyean war between the two countries, and was preceded by a war of words between the two sides.
– The hand of God –
The first half ended with a goalless draw, and at the beginning of the second half, Maradona scored a goal with his hand against goalkeeper Peter Shelton, and the English protested for a long time, but Tunisian referee Ali bin Nasser did not care and insisted in the goal. Maradona admitted after the game that he used his hand to score, calling it “the hand of God,” he said.
Four minutes later, Maradona scored the most beautiful goal in World Cup history, dodging six English players, including the goalkeeper, before depositing it into his net.
Argentina met Belgium in the semi-finals, and the latter’s defense was unable to stop the Argentine genius, who scored two absolutely wonderful goals from individual effort, paving the way for his country to play the final match.
Close watch was imposed on Maradona in the final, and his country advanced 2-0, then West Germany drew 2-2 before the end about 13 minutes, and as Maradona had a hand on most of his country’s goals, he passed a ball advanced to Boruchaga, who was alone with the German goalkeeper and scored the winning goal. 3-2.
And at the World Cup in Italy 90, Maradona shed a famous tear after losing the final to West Germany. At the time, he led his country almost alone, before his team fell with a late penalty, Andreas Brehme.
Maradona said goodbye to the World Cup through the narrow door due to the drug accident, which was the hero of the United States 94 World Cup.
He hardened in the first match against Greece and led Argentina to a great victory (4 – zero), scoring a great goal and playing the full ninety minutes.
He maintained his level in the second game against Nigeria, but it was the last for him after it was found that he had used doping of five prohibited substances, so the Argentine Federation withdrew him from the national team before the International Federation suspended him for 15 months.
– “I won’t be gray” –
Maradona was always distinguished by an alienating personality, in contrast to the Brazilian legend Pele the diplomat, “I am black or white, I will never be gray in my life.”
He was short (1.65 m), strong and fast. He was also a fierce and stubborn fighter who refused to give up, even as the toughest defenders tried to prevent him from reaching the goal. But most of all, he was talented, innovative … even a genius.
“The ball could not have had a better experience than going under his left foot,” said his compatriot in the 1986 national team, Jorge Valdano.
At the club level, he moved to the heart of the Boca Juniors club in 1981, winning his only national title. He left a record contract with Barcelona in 1982, and with it he settled for the national cup title in 1983.
He failed long after Athletic Bilbao player Andoni Goicoechea attacked him and broke his ankle, paving the way for his transfer to the Italian league.
It was the milestone in the history of Napoli FC (1984-1991). With him he met local glory and led him to win the league title in 1987 and 1990, and win the European Union Cup in 1989.
Maradona, however, lived a turbulent life outside the stadiums. He repeatedly stressed that the most difficult competition he has faced from his professionalism is to quit drugs, knowing that he spent a lot of money to get rid of this scourge. He traveled to Geneva, Toronto, Spain and South Korea to find a panacea in his clinics, before suffering successive medical setbacks in recent years.
Maradona cried for his condition when he learned that he could no longer do anything. Former Brazilian soccer player Pelé lamented the situation this “poor man” had reached and said: “It is unfortunate that the stars of soccer in particular and sports in general are not an example of youth and humanity.”
Maradona always had a confrontation with journalists and media figures to the point that he compared his situation when faced with pressure from them with the situation in which Lady Diana, Princess of Wales, killed in an accident, saw that ” journalists had crossed their borders with them. “
Maradona’s fall into drugs and his surroundings marked the end of the Golden Boy’s march internationally, thus leaving the door narrow.
Humble coach
After Napoli, he moved to Seville for a season, followed by local Newell’s Old Boys and then ended his career at Boca Juniors.
In the last two decades, he switched to training. But his career was not successful, with the Argentine team (2008-2010) or in the United Arab Emirates and Mexico.
After his drug problems, he underwent rehab. After quitting cocaine, he fell into the trap of alcohol, cigarettes and obesity, only to end up in the hospital in 2007.
He was a fierce defender of the late Cuban leader Fidel Castro, and the latter’s tattoo was clearly visible on his shoulder, as was a supporter of Venezuelan leader Hugo Chaves.
He married his girlfriend Claudia Villavan in 1984 and they have two daughters, Dalma and Ganinia, before divorcing in 2004. He has a son named Diego Junior. He was born in Naples in 1986, and only recognized his paternity in 2004.
AP / JA / RM
© 2020 AFP
