“Did you ever think a mere mortal could inspire such devotion?” I ask looking at the Diego Armando Maradona. This is more than just a resting place. It is a testament to the enduring legacy of a footballing god.
Right here lies Diego Armando Maradona. He was born in Lanús Buenos Aires on October 30 1960. Maradona died in Tigre Buenos Aires on November 25 2020. He was an Argentine football player. Many people regard him as the top footballer of the 1980s. Others call him one of the greatest of all time.
Maradona displayed football talent early. At age eight he joined Las Cebollitas. This boys’ team won 136 consecutive games. It also won a national championship. At 14 he signed with Argentinos Juniors. He made his first-division debut in 1976 ten days before his 16th birthday. Only four months later Maradona debuted with the national team. He became the youngest Argentine ever to do so.
Although excluded from the 1978 World Cup-winning squad because he was too young he led the national under-20 team to a Junior World Cup championship the next year. Maradona moved to Boca Juniors in 1981. He immediately helped them gain the championship. Then he moved to Europe. He played with FC Barcelona in 1982. He won the Spanish Cup in 1983. Then Maradona played for SSC Napoli from 1984–91. He enjoyed great success there. He raised the traditionally weak Naples side. He led them to the heights of Italian football. With Maradona the team won the league title and cup in 1987. They also won the league title again in 1990.
Maradona’s stint with Napoli ended. He was arrested in Argentina for cocaine possession. He received a 15-month suspension from playing football. Next he played for Sevilla in Spain. Then he played for Newell’s Old Boys in Argentina. In 1995 he returned to Boca Juniors. He played his last match on October 25 1997.
Maradona’s career with the Argentine national team included World Cup appearances in 1982 1986 1990 and 1994. He dominated the 1986 competition in Mexico. In a 2–1 quarterfinal victory over England he scored two memorable goals. The first was scored with his hand. The referee mistakenly thought the ball struck his head. The goal is now remembered as the “Hand of God” goal. The second occurred after Maradona gained possession at midfield. He dribbled through English defenders. He went past the keeper. Then he put the ball in the goal.
He did not finish the 1994 World Cup. He tested positive for ephedrine. He was suspended again. Maradona also played on South American championship-winning teams in 1987 and 1989.
Maradona became a hero of Argentina’s lower classes. He also became a hero of southern Italy. There he led Napoli to victories over wealthier northern clubs. He played 490 official club games. He played during his 21-year professional career. He scored 259 goals. For Argentina he played 91 games. He scored 34 goals. An internet poll named Maradona the top player of the 20th century. The poll was conducted by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association.
In 2008 Maradona was named head coach of the Argentine national team. He led Argentina to the quarterfinals of the 2010 World Cup. Then he and the country’s football governing body could not agree on a contract extension. His time as head coach ended. In 2011 Maradona was hired to coach the United Arab Emirates club Al Wasl. The team struggled. Maradona was fired the next year. He worked for several other clubs. Then he became coach of Mexico’s Dorados de Sinaloa in 2018.
His life was a rollercoaster of triumphs and tribulations. Yet here at the Diego Armando Maradona we find a sense of peace. May his soul find eternal rest. His legend will forever echo in the hearts of football fans worldwide.