One of the greatest footballers ever to have played the game, Diego Maradona shocked the world of football fraternity as he suffered heart attack on 25th November 2020. The news of demise of the Argentinian Football Legend brought tears in the eyes of fans all around the world.
Social media
has been flooded with tribute for the hero as the world marked solidarity and
respect. He died at the age of 60 at his home in Tigre, in the province of
Buenos Aires.
Early Life
On October
30, 1960, in Villa Fiorito, in the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Argentina, a
baby, later crowned a legend, Diego Armando Maradona was born. He was the fifth
child of the family, raised by underprivileged parents Diego Sr. and Dona Tota.
He quickly became devoted to the game at the age of 3 after he received his
first soccer ball as a gift.
Maradona
joined Los Cebollitas at the age of 10, and it was his skill set that made him
the chief player of the club. He led the club to an incredible 136 - game
unbeaten streak. Los Cebollitas is a youth team of Argentinian Juniors. It is
one of the biggest clubs in Argentina. He made his professional debut for the
senior team shortly before his 16th birthday.
Professional
Debut
In 1976,
Maradona made his professional debut for Argentinian Juniors. He played for
five years for the club and scored 115 goals in 167 appearances. Maradona was
then transferred to Barcelona for a then world record fee of £5 million in the
year 1982, and the rest is history for the club.
His
international debut came in the year 1976 against Hungary. However, he was not
included in the 1978 World Cup squad, held in Argentina. He was the star of the
1979 FIFA World Youth Championship held in Japan. Argentina defeated Soviet
Union to clinch the title. His first international goal for senior came in the
year 1979 against Scotland at Hampden Park.
Maradona's
Rise to Glory
A colorful
and beloved soccer icon Maradona captained the Argentine National team in the
FIFA world cup, 1986. With his extraordinary gameplay and captaincy, he led his
side to lift the 1986 World Cup championship trophy. He was then named
"athlete of the decade" by the British.
However, he
wasn’t short of controversy, as he scored a pivotal goal against England during
quarter finals with the help of his arm. After the match, he famously said that
if the ball struck any hand, it was the hand of God.
The second
goal of the match was even better as he defeated five English players to score
the goal and secure a semi-final berth for the national team. He helped Napoli
win two Serie A titles and a UEFA Cup for the Italian club. He received the FIFA
World Cup Golden Ball and the Silver Shoe in the same year.
Low Points
Maradona was
greatly addicted to cocaine while he was in Barcelona. He was then sold to
Napoli for a record-breaking fee of £6.9 million. In 1991, he was banned from
playing soccer for 15 months after testing positive for cocaine.
Retirement
Since his
involvement in cocaine consumption in 1991, his career was haunted until his
retirement in 1997. After he stepped out from soccer, he worked as the manager
of Argentina National team in 2008. He led the team at the 2010 World Cup. He
held various managerial jobs over the past decade, including stints in Mexico
and the United Arab Emirates. At the time of his death, he was in charge of
Gimnasia y Esgrima, a club in Argentina's first division.
He won FIFA
player of the Century.
Although he
left the world, his legacy of soccer will be cherished for generations. 5.5'
Maradona remains immortal in the heart of the football world.
Written by –
Mickel Lepcha
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