Argentina football legend Diego Armando Maradona, who died on November 25, 2020 after a heart attack, is being commemorated on the 5th anniversary of his death.
Maradona, who won 8 championships in different divisions with Boca Juniors, Barcelona and Napoli jerseys during his football career and succeeded in winning the 1986 World Cup with the Argentine National Team, has written his name in golden letters in the history of football.
Maradona, who is considered by most football authorities to be "the best footballer in history" with the Brazilian Pele, and some claim to be more talented than Pele, was born on October 30, 1960 in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina.
Born to a factory worker father and a housewife mother, Maradona started playing for the neighborhood team Estrella Roja after his talent was discovered at the age of 8.
Maradona, who signed a professional contract with Argentinos Juniors before he turned 16, was transferred to Barcelona, one of the biggest clubs in Europe, after winning the championship at Boca Juniors in 1981.
- Maradona in Europe
Maradona, who played 58 matches in all competitions for Spanish club Barcelona in 1982-1984 and hit the net 38 times, won two trophies.
The Argentine star won the King's Cup and the Spanish Super Cup in 1983.
Maradona, who transferred to Napoli in 1984, played 258 matches in all competitions and scored 115 goals.
Thanks to Maradona, Napoli reached the level to compete with the strong teams in the league, and in this period, in addition to 2 league championships, the UEFA Cup, the Italian Cup and the Italian Super Cup took their place in the club's museum.
Maradona, who later played for Sevilla, Newell's Old Boys and finally his former team Boca Juniors, ended his active career in 1997.
- 1986 World Cup in Maradona's hands
Maradona made his name known to the world with his outstanding performance in the FIFA World Cup that Argentina won in 1986.
The star player, who was the target of controversy with his hand goal against England in the quarter-final of the tournament, carried the ball 60 meters in the same match and hit the nets by tackling 5 people. This goal was voted as the "goal of the century" by FIFA in 2002.
Argentina defeated West Germany 3-2 in the 1986 World Cup final and won the championship.
Diego Maradona played 91 matches for the national team and scored 34 goals.
- His career was not short of scandals
Maradona's drug problem, which played a major role in Argentina's run to the final of the 1990 World Cup, became public in 1991.
The same year, the star soccer player was sentenced to 15 months in prison for drug use and was expelled from the 1994 World Cup for using banned substances.
Maradona, who suffered serious health problems in 2004 and 2007 due to this addiction, had more than 37 million euros in tax debts from 1984-1991, when he played for Napoli, causing him constant problems with Italian authorities.
- His coaching career was not like his football career
Unlike his active career, football legend Diego Armando Maradona's life as a manager was not very successful.
The Argentine star, who is considered one of the best soccer players in history, was among the disappointing names in coaching after a career full of trophies.
Maradona also started his coaching career in his home country. The legendary player, who coached Textil Mandiyu in 1994 and Racing in 1995 with his Argentinos Juniors teammate Carlos Fren, was appointed as the technical director of the Argentine National Team in 2008, replacing Alfio Basile.
Maradona, who was entrusted with the national team during the 2010 World Cup with the influence of the public opinion, was dismissed after Argentina was eliminated by losing 4-0 to Germany in the quarterfinals.
Maradona, known for being "sharp-tongued", did not rest easy during his 2-year tenure as the national team coach. Maradona, who insulted the press members after the Uruguay victory in the qualifiers, in which Argentina qualified for the 2010 World Cup, was given a 2-month ban by FIFA.
Maradona, who later coached Al-Wasl, Fujairah, Dorados de Sinaloa and Gimnasia de La Plata, fell behind in his brilliant footballing career.
- Argentina win first World Cup without him
Argentina managed to win the championship in the first FIFA World Cup without Maradona.
Facing France at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar, Argentina won the cup for the third time in 2022 after 1978 and 1986 by dominating its opponent 4-2 in penalty shootouts in the final, which ended 2-2 in normal time and 3-3 in extra time.
Courtesy: Fanatik
Bd-pratidin English/Lutful Hoque
