Argentine Footballer
- He is one of the best football players of all time.
- Debut as a player: October 20, 1976 (Argentinos Juniors)
- Position: Midfielder
- Retired: October 30, 1997 (Boca Juniors)
- Parents: Diego Maradona and Dalma Salvadora Franco
- Spouse: Claudia Villafañe (m. 1984-2003)
- Children: Dalma, Diego Sinagra, Giannina, Jana, Diego Fernando
- Name: Diego Armando Maradona
- Nicknames: Pelusa, Pibe de Oro...
- Height: 1.65 m
Maradona was born on October 30, 1960, in Lanús, near Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Family
He was the fifth of eight children of Diego Maradona and Dalma Salvadora Franco, known as Tota. He grew up in Villa Fiorito , province of Buenos Aires, among fields and poverty. His brothers Hugo and Raúl were also footballers.
Footballer
He started playing football at the age of nine, in a children's team, Los Cebollitas . At sixteen, he was already called up to the Argentine national team . In 1979, he was chosen as the best South American player of the year.
Argentinos Juniors
His debut in the first division took place on Wednesday, October 20, 1976. It was with Argentinos Juniors , wearing the number 16 shirt, nutmegging the first ball he touched. They were hosting Talleres de Córdoba , the match ended 0-1, and that day would be historic for Argentine football.
His first tough moment was on May 19, 1978, when César Luis Menotti did not call him up to play in the 1978 World Cup in Argentina .
Youth Selection
He was then called up to the youth team and landed in Japan. The three matches of the initial round were in Omiya. Diego was the captain, and the team achieved a very good level, defeating Indonesia 5-0, Yugoslavia 1-0, and Poland 4-1. The campaign was relentless. These three victories were followed by three more, 5-0 against Algeria, 2-0 against Uruguay, and 3-1 against the Soviet Union. Diego scored 6 goals in 6 matches.
Boca Juniors
He was signed by Atlético Boca Juniors but was required by Barcelona and River Plate , but he remained faithful to his team. On February 22, 1981, he made his debut, scoring two goals against Talleres de Córdoba. On April 12, Diego played the first classic. It was a rainy night at La Bombonera, and they defeated River 3-0 with a great goal from him. Finally, Boca was crowned champion thanks to Diego Armando Maradona.
FC Barcelona
Despite all these experiences, his time at Barcelona was not so pleasant. During his time with the Spanish team, he suffered from hepatitis and a fracture. His official debut took place on 5 September 1982, scoring a goal in the defeat against Valencia .
Naples
After leaving Barcelona, he moved to Italy to play for Napoli. He made his debut on 22 August 1984 in a packed San Paolo for the Italian Cup, winning 4-1 with a goal of his own.
World Cup in Mexico
With the arrival of the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, he established himself as one of those who would go on to make history. Their debut was with a 3-1 victory against South Korea on June 3. Three days later, with a goal from Maradona, they tied 1-1 against Italy. On June 11, Argentina 2 - Bulgaria 0, Diego did not score any goals, five days later they beat Uruguay by the minimum difference in a very tough match, where Diego had a goal disallowed for an alleged handball.
The Hand of God
On June 22, 1986, the big day was Argentina - England . Diego scored a fantastic goal, starting from behind the halfway line and dribbling past everything that came his way. We must not forget his famous first goal against England, " the hand of God ." On June 25, they beat Belgium 2-0 with two goals from Maradona, and the crowning glory came on June 29, when they beat Germany 3-2 in the final of the Mexico '86 World Cup Argentina was crowned world champion .
After much success and social recognition, his sporting career was affected in 1991 when he was accused of drug use and was expelled from Naples.
Seville
In 1992, he returned to Spain to play, but this time for Carlos Bilardo 's Sevilla . His time at the club was not good at all. He was not in good physical shape and played 25 games, scoring only four goals. A year later, he joined Newell's Old Boys, where he only played four games without scoring goals in a fleeting time at the club.
Suspension
The 1994 World Cup in the United States arrived . Maradona had prepared very well for it, was in good shape and eager to play a great role, but he failed the anti-doping test after the match against Nigeria and it was discovered that he had consumed " ephedrine ", a substance not permitted by FIFA .
He was suspended for a year and banned from playing football. Thus, the Argentine national team, which thanks to Maradona, had a good team with good chances of winning the World Cup and was defeated without its captain.
Return to Boca Juniors
In 1995, Diego returned to the team he loved, Boca Juniors . His return to scoring was on October 15th, against Argentinos Juniors , winning 1-0. During this time with his beloved club, he played 29 games, scoring 7 goals between 1995 and 1997.
Withdrawal
On October 25, 1997, Diego Maradona played his last professional and official football match in a classic against River Plate, where Boca defeated him 2-1.
In December 1999, Maradona received the ClarÃn and Olimpia awards for best Argentine athlete of the century .
He was top scorer five times and won ten titles: Boca (1981), Barcelona (Copa del Rey 1983), Napoli (Scudetto 1987 and 1990; Coppa Italia 1987, UEFA Cup 1989 and Italian Super Cup 1991), Argentina national team (1979 Youth World Cup, 1986 World Cup in Mexico and 1993 Artemio Franchi Cup). He played 90 official matches for the blue and white and scored 33 goals, 8 of them in World Cups.
Selector
In October 2008, he was presented as the new technical director of the Argentina national football team and was vice president of the Boca Juniors Football Council from June 2005 to August 2006.
From March 28, 2009, until the last match in the World Cup in South Africa, on July 3, 2010, he was the technical director of the Argentina national team.
Afterward, he managed the Al Wasl team of Dubai from May 2011 to July 2012.
In 2017, he was signed as coach by Fujairah but left before the end of the season. In May 2018, he was presented as president of the Belarusian club Dynamo Brest.
In September 2018, he was appointed coach of the Mexican club Dorados de Sinaloa . In June 2019, he informed Dorados of the Mexican Second Division that he would not continue as their coach on medical advice and had to undergo two operations: shoulder and knee.
Marriage and children
Married to Claudia Villafañe from 1984 to 2004, with whom he fathered Giannina Dinorah and Dalma Nerea. He also had three other recognized children: Diego Sinagra, Jana, and Diego Fernando Maradona.
In 2015, he sued his ex-wife Claudia Villafañe for fraud, swindle, and embezzlement of assets.
Death
On November 3, 2020, he underwent surgery for a blood clot in his brain. Diego Armando Maradona died on Wednesday, November 25, at his home in the San Andrés neighborhood, in the town of Tigre , after suffering cardiac arrest. Several ambulances went to his home to treat him, but they were unable to do anything to save his life.