Football Icon Diego Maradona Dies: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Football icon, Diego Maradona, has died aged 60. The Argentinian star breathed his last on Wednesday after suffering from a heart attack. His death comes just two weeks after being discharged from the hospital following surgery for a bleed on his brain.

Argentinian president, Alberto Fernandez, has declared three days of mourning for Maradona. The president expressed his heartfelt remorse in a tweet where he thanked the 1986 world cup winner “for having existed,” for taking Argentina “to the top of the world,” and for making Argentinians “immensely happy.”

Club Career

Maradona made his professional debut barely before he was 16 years, ten days to his birthday, playing for Argentinos Juniors before a move to Boca Juniors.

In 1982, Maradona moved to Barcelona in a world-record deal of £5million, where he won the Copa Del Rey and Spanish Super Cup in 1983.

Maradona then left for Napoli in 1984, after a long series of injuries for the Spanish Club, Barcelona. A move described as the “poorest city in Italy may be one of the poorest in Europe, ” buying “the most expensive player in the world.”

At the peak of his career at Napoli, Maradona led the Italian club to their first Serie A title win in 1987, UEFA cup wins in 1989 and 1990. His period with Napoli goes down in books as the most successful era in the club’s history.

Maradona then faced personal problems that saw him leave Napoli in 1982 after a 15-month ban for failing a drug test.

He then played for Sevilla for a year before going back to Argentina to conclude his career. He had a total of 491 professional appearances.

International Career

Maradona played in four world cups in 12 years, 1982-1994, with 91 appearances for Argentina’s National team. Diego captained Argentina to the 1986 world cup win in Mexico, where he was also awarded the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player.

During the 1986 campaign, he scored two career-defining goals in the 2-1 quarter-final win against England. First is the ‘hand of God’ goal, and second is the goal that went down as the “goal of the century.”

In 1999, Maradona was named FIFA’s co-player of the year alongside Pele.

After he concluded his active football, Maradona coached various football clubs, including leading Argentina to the 2010 world cup.

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The bad

Maradona started using cocaine in Barcelona in 1983. However, during his time in Napoli, his addiction became more pronounced and interfered with playing abilities.

His addiction was attributed to the ‘demi-god’ status that he was given in Naples’s city after a successful run in Napoli.

The Daily Mail reports it was at the period. He faced a hard time dealing with his fame, playing for a club he wanted out of, and constantly being tailed by the media.

Maradona then sought protection in the crime-ridden city by enlisting a notorious mafia crew, the Camorra. The protection was to serve his parting habits, use of hard drugs, and his affairs with other women.

In January 1991, he was charged for cocaine possession and distribution and later given 15 months ban from football. He then fled from Italy to Argentina, where he was again arrested under the same charges.

His maniac celebration in the 1994 world cup showed the whole world his drug addiction struggle. He was later dismissed from international duties after testing positive for five variants of ephedrine.

Family

Maradona leaves behind five children, including children he had with Claudia Villafane, his wife from 1984 to 2004. Claudia’s daughters are Dalma, 33, and Ganina, 31.

Diego Fernando is his youngest son, seven years, while Diego Junior, 34, and Jana, 23, are his other children from short flings.

The World of Football Mourns

The entire world has mourned the death of the all-time star who the number 10 jersey.

Pele, in his tweet, showed remorse for losing a friend and a legend.

“What sad news. I lost a great friend, and the world lost a legend. There is still much to be said, but for now, may God give strength to family members. One day, I hope we can play ball together in the sky.”

Cristiano Ronaldo bid farewell to an “eternal genius.”

“Today, I bid farewell to a friend, and the world bids farewell to an eternal genius. One of the best of all time. An unparalleled magician. He leaves too soon, but leaves a legacy without limits and a void that will never be filled. Rest in peace, ace. You will never be forgotten.”

Messi also expressed the “eternity” of Maradona.

“A very sad day for all Argentines and football. He leaves us but does not leave because Diego is eternal. I keep all the beautiful moments lived with him, and I wanted to take the opportunity to send my condolences to all his family and friends. RIP.”

Others who also paid their tributes included Marcus Rashford, Neymar Jr., Harry Kane, Gary Lineker, Barcelona Club, Napoli Club, and Usain Bolt.