Diego Armando Maradona was born on October 30, 1960, in
Villa Fiorito, a province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The fifth of eight
children raised by Diego Sr. and Doña Tota, Maradona grew up in a poor but close-knit
household. He received his first soccer ball as a gift at age 3 and quickly
became devoted to the game.
At 10, Maradona joined Los Cebollitas, a youth team of
Argentinos Juniors, one of the biggest clubs in Argentina. Showing his
prodigious ability at an early age, Maradona led Los Cebollitas to an
incredible 136-game unbeaten streak. He made his professional debut for the
senior team shortly before his 16th birthday.
A short but fearless midfielder renowned for his ability to
create scoring chances for himself and others, Maradona led club teams to
championships in Argentina, Italy and Spain.
The pinnacle of his career came as a member of the
Argentinean national team that won the 1986 World Cup. His performance there
included two memorable goals in a quarter-final victory over England: The first
was scored illegally with his left hand, which Maradona later claimed was the
work of "the hand of God"; the second required no supernatural help,
other than an otherworldly ability to dribble past an onslaught of defenders to
find the back of the net. Altogether, Maradona played in four World Cups, and
scored an impressive 34 goals in 91 international appearances for Argentina.
Despite his unquestioned brilliance on the pitch, the
emotional Maradona became equally well known as a highly controversial figure.
He became addicted to cocaine while playing in Spain in the 1980s and received
a 15-month suspension after testing positive for the substance in 1991.
Maradona endured another high-profile suspension three years later, this time
for testing positive for ephedrine during the World Cup.
Maradona spent the twilight of his playing career in his
home country, his physical skills diminished by mounting injuries and years of
hard living. He announced his retirement on the eve of his birthday in 1997.
The problems that plagued Maradona later in his playing
career continued after his retirement. He was hospitalized for heart problems
in 2000 and 2004, the second time requiring the use of a respirator to breathe
properly. The following year he underwent gastric-bypass surgery to help stem
his obesity.
An internet poll conducted by the Fédération Internationale
de Football Association named Maradona the top player of the 20th century, but
even that event was marked by controversy. Maradona chafed when a special panel
was created to ensure that Pelé would be jointly honored, and then refused to
share the stage with the Brazilian legend.
In 2008, Maradona was hired to coach the Argentinean
national team. Although the Argentines boasted a talented squad headlined by
Lionel Messi, perhaps the best player in the world, they were bounced from the
2010 World Cup with a 4-0 thrashing by Germany in the quarter-finals, and
Maradona's contract was not renewed.
Despite the public disappointments, Maradona remains beloved
in Argentina as a native son who rose from humble beginnings to reach the apex
of stardom on an international stage.
