The Argentine coach's career as a player was a mixture of brilliance and controversies
The Argentine coach's career as a player was a mixture of brilliance and controversiesIt is a measure of Diego Maradona's genius that the scandals that dogged his career will not stop him from being remembered as one of the two greatest footballers (other being Pele) to grace the sport.
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| Genius at work: Diego Maradona |
The 1986 finals in Mexico, where he single-handedly guided Argentina to glory, represented the high point of a career steeped in both brilliance and controversy. Maradona's five goals in Mexico included two against England in a quarter-final grudge match that in many ways has come to define him, showing why he could be both reviled and revered in the space of 90 minutes.
The first of those goals was the fisted 'Hand of God' effort past a stranded Peter Shilton; the second a wondrous individual strike that saw Maradona run half the length of the field and skip past several English defenders to score.
Maradona admits that his 'Hand of God' goal was deliberate -- but denied that it could be termed cheating. "I don't think it's cheating, it's cunning," he said in an interview in 2006. "Is it cheating, handling the ball? I don't think it's cheating, I believe it's craftiness."
Maradona also netted a magical goal in the semis against Belgium, once again his low centre of gravity giving him the ability to change direction abruptly and leave his markers trailing.
Even in the final, when he was well shackled by the German midfield, he was able to find room for a sublime killer pass in the last minute for the goal that gave Argentina a 3-2 victory.
But if Mexico was the highpoint of Maradona's career, the same cannot be said for his three other appearances at the World Cup, all of which ended in ignominy.
Born on October 30, 1960, Maradona began his career playing for Los Cebollitos, 'The Little Onions', before he moved on to Argentinos Juniors. He soon became his country's youngest ever international when he was picked for a friendly against Hungary at 16.
Having captained Argentina to victory in the 1978 youth World Cup finals, Maradona was a controversial omission from the senior team who went on to lift the crown that year.
Maradona was signed from Boca Juniors by Spain's Barcelona in 1982 for a then world record transfer fee. In 1985, Maradona was transferred to Napoli. He guided the Serie A outfit to the Scudetto in 1987 and 1990.
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Maradona played a captain's role as Argentina reached the final at the 1990 World Cup in Italy. This time however Maradona left in shame, tearfully refusing to shake hands with FIFA's president after Argentina lost a foul-tempered final 1-0 to Germany.
In 1991, the Italian Football Federation suspended him for 15 months for testing positive for cocaine. He re-emerged in Argentina colours looking fit in time for the 1994 World Cup finals in the USA. But he was kicked out after failing a dope test for ephedrine, after which he quit international football.
In April 2004 he suffered a heart attack following a cocaine overdose and spent weeks in intensive care. He survived that episode. He made a sensational return in November 2008 when he was named coach of Argentina despite his lack of coaching experience.
