Diego Maradona

Full name: Diego Armando Maradona
Date of birth: October 30, 1960 (1960-10-30) (age 47)
Place of birth: Lanus, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Height: 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
Playing position: Supporting striker, Attacking Midfielder

Diego Armando Maradona (born October 30, 1960) is an Argentine ex-football player, regarded by many as the greatest football player of all time. In 2000 Maradona shared the FIFA Player of the Century award with Pelé after finishing first in a FIFA internet poll on the best player of the 20th century.

Maradona won many trophies with Boca Juniors, FC Barcelona and SSC Napoli over the course of his career. During an international career that included 91 caps and 34 goals, he played in four FIFA World Cup tournaments, leading the Argentina national team to its victory over West Germany in 1986 World Cup, in which he collected the Golden Ball award as the tournament's best player. He scored both goals in the 2-1 victory over England in the quarter-final of the '86 tournament. The first goal was an unpenalized handball known as the "Hand of God", while the second goal was a spectacular 60-metre weave through six England players, commonly referred to as "The Goal of the Century"

He is also considered one of the sport's most controversial figures. Maradona was suspended for 15 months in 1991 after a failed doping test for cocaine in Italy, and then again for ephedrine during the 1994 World Cup in USA.

After retiring from playing on his 37th birthday in 1997,[4] he suffered ill health and weight gain, hardly helped by ongoing cocaine abuse. However, a stomach stapling operation helped control his weight gain. Since overcoming his cocaine addiction, he has become a TV host in Argentina.

Playing style

Maradona had a compact physique and could withstand physical pressure well. His strong legs and low center of gravity gave him an advantage in short sprints. His physical strengths were illustrated by his two goals against Belgium in the 1986 World Cup. Maradona was a strategist and a team player, as well as highly technical with the ball. He could manage himself effectively in limited spaces, and would attract defenders only to quickly dash out of the melee (as in the second 1986 goal against England),[11] or give an assist to a free teammate. Being short, but strong, he could hold the ball long enough with a defender on his back to wait for a teammate making a run or to find a gap for a quick shot.

One of Maradona's trademark moves was dribbling full-speed as a left wing, and on reaching the opponent's goal line, delivering lethally accurate passes to his teammates. Another trademark was the Rabona, a reverse-cross pass shot behind the leg that holds all the weight. This maneuver led to several assists, such as the powerful cross for Ramón Díaz's header in the 1980 friendly against Switzerland. He was also a dangerous free kick taker.

Individual achievement

* Golden Ball for Best Player of the FIFA U-20 World Cup: 1979
* Argentine league Top Scorer: 1979, 1980, 1981
* Argentine Football Writers' Footballer of the Year: 1979, 1980, 1981, 1986
* South American Footballer of the Year (El Mundo, Caracas):1979, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1992
* Argentine Sports Writers' Sportsman of the Year: 1986
* Golden Ball for Best Player of the FIFA World Cup: 1986
* Best Footballer in the World (Once): 1986 — 1987
* World Player of the Year (World Soccer Magazine): 1986
* Serie A Top Scorer: 1987/1988
* Golden Ball for services to football (France Football): 1996
* Argentine Sports Writers' Sportsman of the Century: 1999
* "FIFA best football player of the century", people's choice: 2000
* "FIFA Goal of the Century" (1986 (2–1) v. England; second goal): 2002
* Argentine Senate "Domingo Faustino Sarmiento" recognition for lifetime achievement: 2005

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