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Diego Armando Maradona (nicknamed "El
Diez"Inote|ESPN Eportes 28 July
2005|ESPNEportes20050728, "Pelusa", "El Diego" and
"Dios") (born October 30, 1960) is a former
Argentina|Argentine football (soccer) player. 
He is regarded as one of the greatest—and
most controversial—players in the history of
the game.

==Biography==

===Early years===

Maradona was born in Villa Fiorito, a shantytown
in the southern outskirts of Buenos Aires, to a
poor family who had moved from Corrientes
Province. He was the first son after three girls.
He has two younger brothers, Hugo Maradona|Hugo
("el turco") and Eduardo Maradona|Eduardo
("Lalo"), both of whom were also professional
footballers.

At age 10, Diego was spotted by a talent scout
while he was playing in his neighborhood club
Estrella Roja. He became a staple of the
cebollitas, the junior team of Buenos Aires side
Argentinos Juniors. As a ball-boy in first
division games, he amused spectators by showing
his wizardry with the ball during the halftime
intermissions.

===Career as a player===

At age 15, Maradona made his debut with Argentinos
Juniors, where he played between 1976 and 1981
before his transfer to the club that he supported,
Boca Juniors, where he played during the remainder
of the 1981 season and 1982 and secured his first
league title.  He debuted with the Argentina
national football team ("la selección"), at age
16, against Hungary. At age 18, he played the
Football World Youth Championship for Argentina,
and was the star of the tournament, shining in
their 3–1 final win over the USSR national
football team|USSR team.

In 1982, Maradona played his first Football World
Cup 1982|World Cup tournament. In the first round,
Argentina convincingly beat Hungary and El
Salvador, but they were defeated in the second
round by Brazil and Italy, the side which
eventually won the cup. Later in the year,
Maradona was transferred to FC Barcelona. In 1983,
under coach César Luis Menotti, Barcelona and
Maradona won the Copa del Rey (Spain's annual
national cup competition), beating Real Madrid.
However, an ill-timed tackle by Athletic Bilbao's
Andoni Goikoetxea sent Maradona off the pitch for
almost a year.

In 1984, Maradona was transferred to SSC Napoli,
where he became an adored star, lifting the team
to its most successful era. Napoli won their only
Serie A|Italian Championships (1986/1987|87 and
1989/1990), a Coppa Italia (1987), a UEFA Cup
(1989) and an Italian Supercup (1990). Napoli were
also runners-up in the Italian Championship twice.

In the early 1980s, Diego's childhood friend and
first personal agent Jorge Cyterszpiller marketed
Maradona-centered merchandising, but the products
failed because counterfeiters would imitate every
new item as soon as it was announced. Subsequent
attempts to merchandise Maradona have also been
unsuccessful. 

Maradona led the Argentine national team to
victory in the Football World Cup 1986|World Cup
in 1986, the team winning 3–2 in the final
against German national football team|West
Germany. Throughout the 1986 World Cup, Maradona
asserted his dominance and was widely regarded as
the best player of the tournament. However, it was
the two goals he scored in the Quarter-Final game
against English national football team|England
which cemented his legend. Action replay footage
showed that the first goal was scored with the aid
of his hand. He later claimed it was the "Hand of
God goal|Hand of God" and described it as "A
little of the hand of God, and a little of the
head of Maradona," implying that God was
ultimately responsible for the goal, because the
referee had fortuitously missed the handball
offense. However, on 22 August 2005 Maradona
acknowledged on his new television talk show that
he hit the ball with his hand purposely and that
he immediately knew the goal was illegitimate. He
recalled thinking right after the goal that "I was
waiting for my teammates to embrace me, and no one
came . . . I told them, 'Come hug me, or the
referee isn't going to allow it.'"
http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news?slug=ap-maradona-
handofgod&prov=ap&type=lgns

In contrast, however, Maradona's second goal was
an uncontroversial and impressive display of
footballing skill. He ran half the length of the
pitch, passing five English players (Glenn Hoddle,
Peter Reid, Kenny Sansom, Terry Butcher and Terry
Fenwick) as well as goalkeeper Peter Shilton. This
goal has subsequently become known as the "Feet of
God" goal, and was voted Goal of the Century in a
2002 online poll conducted by FIFA. Argentina went
on to defeat England 2-1 in that game.

Maradona also captained Argentina in the Football
World Cup 1990|1990 World Cup, leading his team to
the final, where they lost 1–0 to West
Germany. He arrived at the Football World Cup
1994|1994 World Cup and played two games (scoring
one goal) before being sent home after failing a
drug test for ephedrine Doping (sport)|doping. On
this matter, he has stated that he had an
agreement, which FIFA broke, to allow him to use
the drug for weight loss before the competition in
order to be able to play, so that the World Cup
would not lose prestige because of his absence.
This allegation was never proved, and many
attribute this comment to Diego's anger at being
suspended.



In Naples, where he is still beloved (having
brought the local team their first scudetto), he
also faced a scandal regarding an illegitimate son
and was the object of some suspicion over his
friendship with the Camorra, the local mafia.

Maradona left Napoli in 1992, after serving a
15-month ban for failing the drug test for
cocaine, and played for Sevilla FC
(1992–1993|93), Newell's Old Boys (1993) and
Boca Juniors (1995–1997|97). He also
attempted to work as a Coach (sport)|coach on two
short stints, leading Mandiyú of Corrientes
(1994) and Racing Club (Argentina)|Racing Club
(1995) without much success. He retired from
football on October 30, 1997. Another alleged
doping incident from that last game is still
unresolved by the Argentine Football Association.

His second agent, Guillermo Coppola, became
involved in some of the drug scandals. Maradona
and Coppola, who were fast friends, have since
broken their relationship acrimoniously.

On January 26, 1997, Maradona discussed on live
Ecuadorian TV with Ecuadorian president Abdalá
Bucaram about playing in Bucaram's Barcelona SC
team, but nothing ever came out of this, as
Bucaram was ousted by a coup d'état.

===Retirement and honors===

In 2000, Maradona published his autobiography Yo
Soy El Diego ("I am El Diego"), which became an
instant bestseller in his home country. In the
same year, Maradona was voted Player of the
Century in an official FIFA poll conducted on the
Internet, garnering 53.6% of the votes. Then, in
an unannounced move, FIFA appointed a "family of
soccer" committee, which voted to elect Pelé
alongside the Argentine. Maradona cried foul and
left the awards ceremony as soon as his prize was
awarded. (For more on FIFA's handling of the
issue, see this
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/news/2000/
12/11/pele_maradona/ Sports Illustrated article.)

In 2001, the Argentine Football Association asked
FIFA for authorization to retire jersey number 10
as an homage to Maradona. Even though Argentine
officials have claimed that FIFA hinted that it
would grant the request, the authorization was
denied.

Maradona has won other polls, including a 2002
FIFA poll in which his second goal against England
was chosen as the best goal ever scored in a World
Cup; he also won the most votes in a poll to
determine the All-Time Ultimate World Cup Team.

On 22 June 2005, it was announced that Maradona
would return to Boca Juniors as a vice president
in charge of managing the First Division roster. 
His contract began 1 August 2005 and the club
hopes he can help revive it from its disastrous
2004–05 season, which coincided with Boca's
centenary.

On 15 August 2005, Maradona made his debut as host
of a talk-variety show on Argentine television, La
Noche del 10 ("The Night of the #10"). His main
guest was Pelé; the two showed no signs of their
past differences. Maradona has since announced
that Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos da Silva|Roberto
Carlos, Zinédine Zidane, and Enzo Francescoli had
confirmed that they would appear on the show. He
has also expressed a desire to have political
figures appear, specifically naming Argentina
President Néstor Kirchner and Cuban leader Fidel
Castro.

===Marriage and divorce===

Maradona married long-time fiancée Claudia
Villafañe on November 7, 1989 in Buenos Aires,
after she gave birth to their two daughters, Dalma
Nerea (b. 1987) and Giannina Dinorah (b. 1989). In
his autobiography, Maradona admits not always
being faithful to Claudia, even though he refers
to her as the love of his life.

Diego and Claudia divorced in 2004. Daughter Dalma
has since asserted that the divorce was the best
solution for all, as her parents are on friendly
terms. Diego and Claudia traveled together to
Napoli for a series of homages in June 2005.
http://espndeportes.espn.go.com/story?id=334497

During the divorce proceedings, Maradona admitted
that he was the father of Diego Sinagra (b.
Naples, 1986), as was claimed by his mother,
Cristiana Sinagra. (The Italian justice had so
ruled in 1993, after Maradona refused to undergo
DNA tests for proving or disproving his
paternity.)
http://espndeportes.espn.go.com/story?id=334523

Claudia has started working as a theater producer,
and Dalma is seeking an acting career; she has
expressed her desire to attend the Actor's Studio
in Los Angeles.
http://www.clarin.com/diario/2005/06/03/espectacul
os/c-00811.htm,
http://www.clarin.com/diario/2005/06/19/sociedad/s
-998340.htm

===Health situation===

In marked contrast to the athleticism he showed
during his years as a football player, since his
retirement Maradona has been plagued by a series
of health problems. 

Since the 1990s, Maradona has been battling a
cocaine Drug addiction|addiction, which included
spells in Switzerland|Swiss and Cuban detox
clinics. Since 2001, Maradona has been living
mostly in Cuba, becoming friends with President
Fidel Castro.

On April 18, 2004, doctors reported that Maradona
had suffered a major myocardial infarction|heart
attack following a cocaine overdose; he was
admitted to intensive care in a Buenos Aires
hospital. Scores of fans gathered around the
clinic indicating his popularity even in 2004.
Days after the heart attack, a male nurse was
caught taking photos of Maradona with a cellular
telephone and was promptly fired by the hospital
managers.

After he showed improvement, Maradona was taken
off a respirator on April 23, and remained in
intensive care for several days before being
discharged on April 29. He returned to Cuba in
May.

In January 2005, Maradona was seen in a clinic in
Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, where he was later
admitted. On March 6, it was announced that he had
undergone gastric bypass surgery as treatment for
his obesity, which has since helped him reduce his
weight. Later that year, Maradona resumed public
appearances, in good spirits and displaying a
notably thinner figure.

==Football style==

Short and stocky, Maradona had a very strong
physique and could withstand physical pressure
better than most players. His strong legs and low
centre of gravity gave him additional advantage in
short sprints opposite defenders. This is
illustrated by his two goals against Belgium in
the 1986 World Cup.

He was also a wizard with the ball and could
manage himself in limited spaces, attracting
defenders only to quickly dash out of the melee,
or find a free teammate who would take the ball
and score. Examples include the pass to Claudio
Caniggia|Caniggia against Brazil in the 1990 World
Cup, and the pass to Jorge Burruchaga|Burruchaga
that secured the 1986 trophy.

Maradona could convert fragile possessions into
goals. His goal against Italy in the 1986 World
Cup demonstrated this. Defenders in Maradona's
time were more athletic than those Pelé opposed;
Maradona had to do things faster, as he almost
never enjoyed the additional second needed to
secure and calm down the ball.

One of Maradona's trademark moves was dribbling
full-speed as a left wing, and on reaching the
opponent's goal line, delivering accurate passes
to his teammates that many times proved lethal.

Maradona's kicking had a mixture of precision and
power that enabled him to score many free kicks.
Because he seldom used his right foot for any
decisive action, defenders were confounded
whenever he did.

==Reputation==

Ever since 1986, it is common for Argentines
abroad to hear Maradona's name as a token of
recognition, even in remote places. In Argentina,
Maradona is often talked about in terms reserved
for legends. In the Argentine film Son of the
Bride (El Hijo de la Novia), an actor who
impersonates a Catholic
Priest#Catholic_.26_Orthodox|priest says to a bar
patron: "they idolized him and then crucified
him". When scolded by a friend for taking the
prank too far (by elaborating on the passion of
Jesus), the fake priest retorts: "But I was
talking about Maradona".

There is a Church of Maradona, where "believers"
re-enact the Hand of God goal, and partake in food
and wine that bear his likeness. The "rituals" of
this "church" have been filmed by several sports
programmes and broadcast in many countries. The
church does not take itself too seriously, even
though its members have been involved in several
community initiatives.

Commentators in Argentina have often compared
Maradona to Esteban Laureano Maradona
(1895–1995), a physician who helped
indigenous communities achieve better health
standards, and was the recipient of the 1987
United Nations|UN Medicine for Peace prize. Dr.
Maradona was renowned for his modesty, and worked
until he turned ninety, so the comparison was
often unfavorable to the footballer. Broadcaster
Alejandro Dolina was the first to denounce the
unfairness of this treatment.

Hounded for years by yellow journalism, Maradona
even fired a air rifle|compressed-air rifle
against reporters who, so he claimed, invaded his
privacy. This quote from former teammate Jorge
Valdano summarizes the feelings of many: 
:He is someone many people want to emulate, a
controversial figure, loved, hated, who stirs
great upheaval, especially in Argentina...
Stressing his personal life is a mistake. Maradona
has no peers inside the pitch, but he has turned
his life into a show, and is now living a personal
ordeal that should not be imitated. http://www.el-mundo.es/larevista/num103/
textos/valdano1.html


==Career statistics==
===Clubs===
* Argentinos Juniors (1976–1981) - 166
matches (116 goals)
* Boca Juniors (1981–1982, 1995–1997)
- 71 matches (35 goals)
* FC Barcelona|Barcelona (1982–1984) - 58
matches (38 goals)
* SSC Napoli (1984–1991) - 259 matches (115
goals)
* Sevilla FC|Sevilla (1992–1993) - 29
matches (7 goals)
* Newell's Old Boys (1993) - 5 matches (0 goals)

===International===
*1977–1994 Argentina (91 appearances, 34
goals) 
*21 appearances in four Football World Cup|FIFA
World Cup Championships (1982, 1986, 1990, 1994)
*Argentina's second highest goal-scorer 

===Club honours===
*1981 Primera División Argentina|Argentine league
(Boca Juniors) 
*1982 Copa del Rey|King's Cup (FC Barcelona)
*1982 Cup Winners' Cup (FC Barcelona)
*1987 Serie A|Italian league (SSC Napoli)
*1987 Coppa Italia|Italian Cup (SSC Napoli)
*1988 Serie A|Italian top-scorer (SSC Napoli)
*1989 UEFA Cup (SSC Napoli)
*1990 Serie A|Italian league (SSC Napoli)
*1991 Supercoppa Italiana|Italian Super Cup (SSC
Napoli)

===International honours===
*1979 FIFA Football World Youth Championship|World
Youth Championship
*1986 FIFA Football World Cup|World Cup winner 
*1990 FIFA World Cup runner-up 
*1993 Copa Artemio Franchi 

===Coaching career===
*1994 Mandiyú de Corrientes 
*1995 Racing Club de Avellaneda
*2005 Boca Juniors (Football vice-president) 

===Individual honours===
*1979–1981, 1986 Argentine Football Writers'
Footballer of the Year 
*1986 Argentine Sports Writers' Sportsman of the
Year 
*1979, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1992 South American
Footballer of the Year (El Mundo, Caracas) 
*1986 Golden Ball for Best Player of the FIFA
World Cup 
*1986 European Footballer of the Year (France
Football) 
*1986–1987 Best Footballer in the World
(Onze) 
*1996 Golden Ball for services to football (France
Football) 
*2000 "FIFA Goal of the Century" (1986 (2–0)
v. England)
*1999 Argentine Sports Writers' Sportsman of the
Century 
*2000 "FIFA best football player of the century",
people's choice.
*2005 Argentine Senate "Domingo Faustino
Sarmiento" recognition for lifetime achievement.

==External links==
* http://www.homenajeal10.com.ar/ Homenaje al 10 -
Diego Maradona's Tribute (Spanish)
* http://www.diegofutbol.com/ Maradona History,
Stats, and Media (Spanish)
* http://www.diegomaradona.com/ Diego Maradona's
home page
* http://www.expertfootball.com/players/maradona/
Diego Maradona Biography and pictures
*
http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/02/en/pf/h/gotc/laun
ch.html Video clip of the Goal Of the Century   

==References==
*http://espndeportes.espn.go.com/story?id=349221
'El Diez emprende dos nuevos desafíos', ESPN
Deportes (July 28 2005). Retrieved August 17 2005.
*http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news?slug=reu-maradon
atv&prov=reuters&type=lgns "Zidane, Ronaldo to
appear on Maradona TV show", Reuters/Yahoo!
(August 19, 2005). Retrieved August 20, 2005.