Diego Armando Maradona, widely regarded as one of the greatest players to ever grace the football pitch, succumbed to a heart attack at his residence in Buenos Aires on Wednesday. He was just 60. However, his life hasn’t been short of controversies. He had been a figure of interest on and off the pitch, from the famous ‘hand of God’ incident to his infamous drug addiction. Still worshipped like a God by football fans, his celebrity stature had no end. Some of the record he broke during his time remains untouched. If his quality of goals were not enough, his magisterial presence lured thousands of people every week to the stadiums.
Maradona, a name synonymous to football for every 80s kid, turned into a household name after the Argentine magician stepped onto the football pitch. His humble beginning started at the Los Cebollitas youth team, which he joined at the age of 10. Little did the world know that this little guy will one day lift up the FIFA World Cup.
After making his professional debut at the age of 15 in Argentina in 1976 and debuting for the national team at the age of 16, Maradona found his big break in club football after he signed for FC Barcelona in1980. He was transferred back to Argentina for a short stint immediately, only to sign him back for a world record fee of $9.86 million in 1982. His time with the Spanish giants might not be the highlight of his career, but it helped him realise his own potential.
His club career came to a peak when he signed for Serie A Napoli for $13.54 million setting another world record for the most expensive player. Although his first season took off to a slow start, his talent went on full display when he helped Napoli win their maiden Italian title in 1987. He became a figure of utter importance for Napoli fans, some of them going to the extreme of establishing his shrines in the city.
Diego got married to Claudia Villafane and had two kids, Dalma and Giannina Maradona. However, things fell out between them when his wife Claudia filed a paternity suit in 1990.
'The hand of God' as it was termed by Maradona himself, has been of the most recognised unusual incident on the pitch. It was the 1986 World Cup and Argentina was playing against a competitive English side. The score was tied going into the second half and both the teams were feeling the heat. This is when Maradona stepped up with an attack. A quick one-two with teammate Jorge Valnado saw the ball lobbed over the defence. Maradona went for the ball but after realising that the goalkeeper will gather, stuck his hand out and helped the ball over the keeper into the goal.
Things started going downhill for Maradona when he failed a drug test in 1991. He was barred from football for 15 months after testing positive for cocaine.
Diego and his political ideologies are no secret to the world as he used to carry his political leaning on his shoulder, quite literally. He had a Che Guvera tattoo on his shoulder. If this wasn't enough to showcase his support for the left parties, he tattooed Fidel Castro's face on his thigh.
Another cult figure in football, Pele was known for his harsh remarks and strong critique for established footballers. However, Pele and Maradona's chemistry was seen wholly when Diego started his own talk show and invited Pele as the first guest. The interview was warm and full of football glamour.
Bengal's love for football has strong roots in Diego's philosophy. He was worshipped all around the country but Bengalis had reserved his place in their hearts. Numerous people were influenced by Diego's football and celebrated his life like he was one of their own. He visited Bengal in 2017, met Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly and even played some football there.
Maradona went under a brain surgery after a blood clot was found in his head. The surgery went successful and what followed was this image, the last public appearance of the football God. Days after this, he was found dead at his home in the suburbs of Buenos Aires after a cardiac arrest.
