Maradona, Diego Armando (1960–)

Diego Armando Maradona, born October 30, 1960, is an Argentine soccer player who is considered one of the best players in the history of the sport. Throughout his career, Maradona had significant athletic achievements with the Argentine national team, with which he won the 1986 FIFA World Cup, as well as with the various clubs for which he played: Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors (Argentina), FC Barcelona and Sevilla FC (Spain) and SSC Nápoli (Italy). Although he is an offensive midfielder rather than a born goal scorer, Maradona has produced some of the most famous goals in the history of soccer, including as the two he scored against England in the quarter-finals of the 1986 World Cup. The first, known as the Hand of God, was actually scored with his left hand. In the second, which FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) chose as the Goal of the Century, he took the ball from midfield and dribbled past six British players and the goalkeeper to score the goal.

His athletic achievements have often contrasted with his addiction to drugs and with the various lawsuits he has been involved in. After his retirement in 1997, he entered rehabilitation in Cuba and in Argentina for his cocaine use. In 2005 he underwent surgery for weight problems and debuted as a host on the La Noche del Diez television program. In Argentina and several other parts of the world fans have set up the Maradonian Church, a parody of religion relating to the cult of Maradona as supreme god.

See alsoSports .

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Borg, Ed. "Diego Maradona: The Most Thrilling—and Disappointing—Star of Our Time." Soccer Jr. 5, no. 6 (November-December 1996), 28-30.

Maradona, Diego, with Daniel Arcucci and Ernesto Cherquis. Maradona: The Autobiography of Soccer's Greatest and Most Controversial Star, tr. Marcela Mora y Araujo. New York: Skyhorse, 2007.

Telander, Rick. "Prima Dona." Sports Illustrated 72, no. 20 (May 14, 1990): 96-106.

                                            Elena Moreira