Last Wednesday, the sporting world paused for a few minutes as the news that Maradona had passed, circulated as quickly as an out-of-control bush fire. Everyone was calling or texting their families, friends and colleagues. As the magnitude of the loss of a living legend took hold, people knelt and wept openly, as three days of mourning were declared in Maradona’s native Argentina.
“The evil that men do lives after them;
The good is oft interred with their bones…”
Mark Antony in William Shakespeare’s
Julius Caesar
The Shakespeares of today, some of the scribes in the British media, would have you believe that Maradona was the villain of the piece and ought to be remembered as such. A sampling of the British tabloids leaves no doubt as to their feelings towards to this football marvel. “He’s in the hands of God” screamed the Daily Mirror headline, emblazoned on a photograph of Maradona in mid-air, punching the ball over the outstretched hand of England’s goalkeeper Peter Shilton. The Daily Star headlined the same photograph with the caption, “Where was VAR when we needed it most?” The Independent ran a photograph of Maradona riding on his teammates’ shoulders as he held aloft the 1986 World Cup trophy, with the headline, “Maradona, football’s flawed genius.” A BBC feature headline, included the words, “the magician, the cheat, the god, the flawed genius.” Whereas The Guardian opted for a pensive face shot of Maradona in his football prime, on the upper half of its front page with the definitive caption: “Diego Maradona 1960 – 2020.” Its entire back page displayed Maradona confronted by six opposing players; “El Diego” was strap lined with the words, “Farewell to a football genius who dominated a World Cup like no other player.” History will always have several differing versions.
Truth be told, the English are still smarting from that punch-in-the-face from Maradona during their 1986 World Cup quarter-final match. Or is it a diversion from the salt poured in the wound, when four minutes later, Maradona exploded past four English players in an incredible acrobatic display of evading a string of tackles, to simply tap the ball into an empty net, after side stepping Shilton? Why are they still hanging Maradona out to dry? World Cup controversy is part and parcel of their history. Why aren’t they quibbling about their extra-time, quarter-final defeat by West Germany, in 1970, when as defending champions, they blew a 2–0 lead, as their number one goalkeeper, Gordon Banks, sat on the sidelines, the only member of the team to suffer from food poisoning? Geoff Hurst, scorer of the (still ongoing scientifically analysed) controversial go-ahead goal in extra-time in the 1966 final, then had an apparently legitimate goal disallowed minutes from time which would have broken the 2–2 tie. Why aren’t they shouting from the rooftops about that too?
And why aren’t they yelling Manuel Neuer’s name? In the round of sixteen in the 2010 World Cup, England’s Frank Lampard’s chip over the German goalkeeper clipped the underside of the crossbar bounced a yard inside the goal, rebounded off the crossbar and into the hands of Neuer, who quickly turned and put the ball into play again. Incredibly, the referee ruled no goal, a decision which otherwise would have made the score 2-2, and changed the outcome of the game and arguably, the entire tournament, as a very strong English team was eliminated. The English have their own opinion, the rest of the world holds other views. Let us not yield to the English media diktat on the legacy of Maradona.
There are legends in every sport. Then, there are the icons. These are people who transcend from the mastery of their chosen pursuit, whose subliminal transformations into everyday life across the globe are as mystifying and inexplicable as the magical powers they are capable of displaying when most needed. At any time, the list of these intriguing virtuosos is always very short. But there is never any uncertainty as to whom one is speaking of: Pele, Ali, George Best, Bruce Lee, Maradona, Senna, Michael Jordan, Tiger, Federer, and Bolt.
Diego Armando Maradona rose from the humble beginnings of life in the barrios of Buenos Aires, to the pinnacle of the football world, eventually being chosen, along with the Brazilian maestro, Pele, as the joint Footballer of the Twentieth Century, by FIFA. Maradona’s life was hectic from an early age, as everyone jostled to covet a slice of the young eight-year-old prodigy whose phenomenal ball control skills had to be seen to be believed. Bursting on to the national scene as a precocious fifteen-year-old for Boca Juniors, Maradona was soon the youngest player ever to adorn the colours of la Albiceleste.
Seventeen months later, thirteen days before the start of the 1978 World Cup in Argentina, the rising star, El Diego, was sitting under a tree bawling his eyes out having been among the unfortunate trio to be the last cuts from the team. The Argentine coach, the philosophical chain-smoking Cesar Luis Menotti, resisted pressure from the media and fans to include Maradona, opting instead to protect the youngster from shouldering the expectations of the host nation. A year later, Menotti’s decision bore fruit, as Maradona led Argentina to the World Youth Championship in Japan, whilst capturing the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player. It was a trend that would be repeated everywhere he played, trophies and Best Player awards. Twice Maradona raised the bar for the record transfer fee first to Barcelona, and later, Napoli.
In his prime, Maradona was an absolute joy to watch. A busting little dynamo of 5’ 5”, he was probably kicked and tackled more than anyone else in history, he bounced right up and continued on. His explosive dribbling runs seemingly attached the ball to his feet, and the manner in which he evaded tackles and lunges can only be described as magical. His ability to change the flow of a game in an instant with a simple flick or pinpoint pass using either foot, his vision and on-the-field wizardry drew countless adorning fans. Maradona dazzled at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, where he lived up to the pre-tournament hype and delivered the trophy for Argentina. Dominating the tournament like no player before or since, Maradona re-wrote the record books including five goals and five assists in seven games.
Thrust into the spotlight from an early age, the boy from the barrio lived a life off the field which attracted the wrong company. Whilst playing for Napoli, Maradona became addicted to cocaine, a troubling development which led to his career spiraling out of control, and a fifteen-month suspension. He was never the same player afterwards, and constant weight battles led to his eventual retirement.
Alas, ‘D10s’, a nickname attached to Maradona, formed by a play on the Spanish word for god, Dios and the number he always wore, 10, is no more. Let’s remember him as a fallible, likeable rascal, whose legend will live forever.
Rest in peace, Maradona.