Diago Maradona from Slum Villa Fiorito Motivates me Most

Diago Maradona from Slum Villa Fiorito Motivates me Most


Troubled Galaxy Destroyed Dreams: Chapter 106

Palash Biswas

Diego Maradona Video
http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=3Mou1s5lzDc


Villa Fiorito
http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=b2fu101mlmk


Escuelas de Villa Fiorito.
http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=YRji4mdntZA



maradona magia!
http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=b3shGm6uunc


The Best of Diego Maradona
http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=NBpu-M6kXCk



MARADONA'S TRICKS
http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=i_PP7QJwNpM


Diego Armando Maradona - England vs Argentina - Mexico 1986
http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=3z-qm-Sb_4s


maradona
http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=bbaa2oTazMU



Maradona passing
http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=--ACUzCCza8


Maradona the Original
http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=3tCoMtPuL3Q



Diego Maradona has long been known for his lucid and devil-may-care statements. As unpredictable behind the microphone as he was on the pitch, the famous No10 can be as charming and forthright as he can be volatile and controversial. At FIFA.com we compiled ten of best from the world's most famous Argentinian.


"Yes, I am a ‘blackhead'* and proud of it. I'll never forget where I came from."
*From the Spanish cabecita negra - a derogatory term used to refer to people from Argentina who came from a poor background.

"You are never in control with drugs, they control you. Anyone who says, ‘I can handle them' is either lying or deluding themselves."

"Why am I always fighting against the powers that be? Simple, I loathe any form of injustice."

"I've packed 70 years into my 40. I've seen it all. I went from a dirt track in Villa Fiorito to the top of the world. When I got there, I had to figure out for myself what to do. Nobody ever told me what it would be like or how to handle it."

"I was and always will be happy with my ‘hand of God' goal against the English. I offer them a thousand apologies - that's the truth - but I'd do it again a thousand times."

"My own little revolution is to defend the small people, not as a hero, not as some distant God, but just as a simple footballer."

"I tried to find happiness playing football, and through it I tried to bring happiness to others. Football is the most beautiful game in the world. Yes, I made mistakes and I paid the price, but you can never tarnish football."

"The only player that can't be replaced in the national team is Javier Mascherano. In Argentina, it's Mascherano plus ten."

"I'll be the one making decisions. Of course, I'll listen to Carlos (Bilardo), because he's experienced and won a lot of things. But I am the one who decides who's playing and who's not."

"This is a moment to enjoy. I'd be more than happy if my parents can see me going out on the field as the national coach, but I don't want to cry. The national team needs a man who makes people laugh and not cry, someone who can bring enjoyment and not tears."
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/newsid=928734.html

Villa Fiorito is suburb in the Lomas de Zamora Partido (formerly in Lanús Partido) in Buenos Aires Province, to the south of central Buenos Aires. It forms part of the Greater Buenos Aires urban conurbation. Many Italian and Spanish descendants live there, but in recent decades people from other provinces have come to live near central Buenos Aires, creating new slums in the city. Maradona, considered one of the best footballers of all time, was born in Villa Fiorito.

The people of Nandigram may meet Diego Maradona, if sports minister Subhas Chakraborty keeps his word.

At a DYFI rally in Nandigram recently, Subhas said: “I shall try to bring Maradona to Nandigram by a helicopter.”

The soccer star will arrive in Calcutta on December 6. Nandigram will vote in an Assembly bypoll at the end of the year.

CPM MP Lakshman Seth, who was present, said: “We will build the chemical hub in Nayachar. If any one tries to prevent it, the people of Haldia will break their legs.”

In response to Seth’s warning, Trinamul Congress’s MLA from Contai (south), Subhendu Adhikary, tonight lodged a complaint against Seth in Nandigram police station.


This Man from the Slum Villa Fiorito in Buenos Aires Province MOTIVATES me most from the first day I saw him with Foot Ball. His personality, his involvement with his native place and people, his outbirsts .. everything overwhelms me and at times, I feel Great to identify myself with Diago, a Human being intact despite Information Explosion and globalisation. He loves Fidel Castro as much as Foot Ball! He is personified Patriotism! Pele is certainly, as much as a Legend as Maradona happens to be. But I never feel Pele either in my heart or mind. He seems rather som technology Icon sophisticared related to Football and uses his dignified status to enhance the Phoenix Order of zionist White Hindu Corporate War Post Modern Manusmriti Apartheid Galaxy Order. But Maradon seems to be genetically close to our ancestor`s dreams! He is as much as Impulsive as our Negroid Indigenous people are. He mixes Ideology with Football. Thus, I love Maradona and never get the FEEL for any other sports personality worldwide including our own Sachin Tendulkar, Gavaskar and kapildev!

He scored a goal in a World Cup semifinal with his hand and was kicked out of another World Cup for a positive drug test. He has battled longtime cocaine and weight problems. He's been linked to the Mafia and allegedly still owes millions of dollars in back taxes in Italy.

He suffered a heart attack in 2004 from an apparent cocaine overdose and spent 10 days in intensive care. He had his stomach stapled in 2005 in Colombia. He was on his death bed again in 2007 with alcohol-induced hepatitis.
He pals around with Cuba's Fidel Castro and Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, and he told Venezuelan TV: “I hate everything that comes from the United States. I hate it with all my strength.” Several countries refuse him entry.

He once fired an air pistol at journalists and received a two-year suspended sentence.

He's also the new national soccer coach of Argentina.

The AFA, Argentina's soccer federation, made it official yesterday. Diego Armando Maradona, 48, is national coach. There had been reports for a week that Maradona would replace Alfio Basile, who resigned last month after Argentina lost to Chile and dropped to third place in South American qualifying for the 2010 World Cup, but it seemed so surreal, so implausible that it took an afternoon news conference in Buenos Aires to confirm it beyond a reasonable doubt.

There was Maradona, in a dark suit and tie, sitting between federation head Julio Grondona and technical secretary Carlos Bilardo, saying: “The one thing I am not is nervous. I am calm. . . . I'm not afraid of losing my crown. We have had a mini-crisis, and I would be a coward if I did not take this on.”

His coaching résumé looks like this: Two short stints at Argentine clubs more than a decade ago, at Mandiyu in 1994 and Racing Club in 1995, lasting a total of 23 games and resulting in three victories.

But details like that don't matter when you're Diego Maradona in Argentina, or Michel Platini in France, or Hugo Sanchez in Mexico. It is in the fine print of greatness, the part no one bothers to read. The deal is, you get an iconic soccer player who does your nation proud and ranks among the all-time legends of the game – and in return, one day he'll want to be national coach.


I am searching the roots of our people across the great Ganges. The Brahminical History has wiped out the traces of our people in Bengal. Since Shasank we never know about the history of Bengal until Pal dynesty. The origin of Bengal is claimed in Charyapada written by Black untouchables between 7th to 10th centuries. But we never get any detail of this period which is defined as Dark Age. After Sashanka our people ruled tehmselves and pal Dynasty is known for Buddhism. Sen Dynasty imported the present day rulers, the micro minority three percent Brahmins. Demise of SEN Dymasty introduced Islamic Rule in bengal and the Capital shifted from GAUR to Murshidabad. The War of PLASSY in 1757 changed the History of India. India was a British colony for two hundred years. hitherto unknown the Brahaminical Bengalies made themselves Global and constituted an unchallangeable Hegemony.

The aboriginal Indigenous communities continued the Resistance against Imperialism from the first day of the Rule of east India company. Midnapur, Bankura, Purulia, Birbhoom, Murshidabad, Maldah, 24 Parganas, Burdwan, Duars, North Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Orissa and Chhattisgargh have the legecy of this tradition of Resistance!

Nandigram, Singur, Lalgargh, Kalingnagar and Dantewada are located inthis zone.

I visited remote areas in Birbhum, Malda and Murshidabad last week withmy wife Sabita! Me and sabita returned from the Tour last day only. Now the Brahaminical Mraxist Hegemony suffers a Stand Off in Jhargram Lalgargh zone just after nandigram and singur insurrection!

Meanwhile, Diego Maradona’s extraordinary career comes full circle when Argentina face Scotland in a friendly at Hampden Park on Wednesday.

It is appropriate time to evaluate the role of Maradona in Indigenous black Untouchable life worldwide. If Barrack Obam is a political phenemona and it sets the Obamania mood, Maradona is an Indigenous Aboriginal Profile lareger than Life with which we must Identify to achieve the Dream of martin Luther King! We never know how Black Obama would prove himself, but we know that Maradona never betrayed his Identity despite anarchist Life style overblown by Internationa media and the global hegemony!

Being a Bengali, I always preferred Football to Cricket. It is the People`s game and maradona happpens to be the People`s Player. He is more loved by our people than any people`s Princess!Association football is one of India's most popular sports, and is said to rank second only behind cricket in popularity, although some reporting considers domestic football to be more popular than domestic cricket. Football is played in almost all schools in India. Football is also said to be the top sport in the states of Goa, Kerala, Manipur, West Bengal, Mizoram and Sikkim.

In September 2006, India and Brazil signed an agreement formalise a scheme to train Indian footballers and coaches.

Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), in the state of West Bengal, is considered to be the home of Indian football. The city contains the two most famous Indian teams East Bengal Club and Mohun Bagan AC. Derbies between these two clubs often draw crowds around the 120,000 mark.

Recently Goan clubs have been doing very well in the I-league. Dempo FC are the defending champions.
The game in India is administered by the All India Football Federation (AIFF), which is affiliated to the regional Asian Football Confederation, as well as to the worldwide body FIFA. The Indian national team has entered into the regional Asian Cup competition as well as the World Cup. The Indian women's national team has also played in various competitions. Youth football is administered by the governmental Sports Authority of India.

The game is also administered at state levels by state football associations, some of which predate the AIFF. The Indian Football Association, which is responsible for the game in the state of West Bengal, used to be in de-facto charge of the game in India before they pushed for the creation of a national body in association with other state associations.


My family was divided on Football as everyone in the family excluding me and my Chhotokaka supported East Bengal becuase we originally belonged to East Bengal, Jassore. My uncle was a doctor and his mindset was quite secular. He was Cosmopolitan in caharcter. He and me supported Mohan Bagan. We followed everything in kolkata Football hearing Radio commentry and reading Bengali Newspaper basumati which we used to get almost a week late in my village basantipur situated in District nainital terai in Dineshpur Pantnagar area!

As a living legend Pele was aggressive enough to visit my dream so often. We also felt proud for Pradip Bannerjee, Chuni Goswami, Mewalal and Akbar. In seventies we have been crazy for Goal Keeper Thangraj. I was very crazy about Mohan Bagan Forward Subhash Bhowmic and he captained the team. In eighties we were spell bound by Majid Baskar and Bhaskar Ganguli. But direct live telecast of Interantional matches and world cup Finals wiped out Kolkata Football from our memory.

Pradip Kumar Banerjee (October 15, 1936 – ) or PK Banerjee as he is called often, is one of the famous football players in India. He was born in Jalpaiguri in West Bengal. He was one among the first few Arjuna Awardees, when the awards were instituted in 1961. He was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri Award in 1990 and was named Indian Footballer of the 20th Century by FIFA. He represented India for 13 years, and was one of the top scorers in Asia at that time.In 1954 he moved on to Kolkata and joined the Mohun Bagan Club in West bengal later moving on to represent Eastern Railway Soccer Club. He played striker position in football and had scored 65 goals in 84 international games which he played during his career. His first game as part of the Indian team, was in the 1955 Quadrangular tournament in Dhaka, East Pakistan (now capital of Bangladesh) at the age of 19.[2]

He represented India in three Asian Games namely, the 1958 Asian Games in Tokyo, the 1962 Asian Games in Jakarta where India clinched the gold medal in football and then the 1966 Asian Games in Bangkok. He became an olympian at the age of 20, when he was part of the national team that played at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne. He was the captain of the Indian Football Team at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, where he scored the famous equaliser against France to hold a 1-1 draw. He represented India thrice at the Merdeka Cup in Kuala Lumpur where India won silver in 1959 and 1964 and bronze in 1965. Recurring injuries forced him to drop out of the national team leading to his retirement in 1967.

After his retirement, his first stint at coaching came with the East Bengal Football Club, one of the clubs best times from 1970-75, when they won the Calcutta League six consecutive times. In the 1977 season he guided the Mohan Bagan Football Club to a historic feat, winning the IFA Shield, Rovers Cup and Durand Cup espectively to achieve their first-ever triple-crown triumph in one season. He became the national coach for the first time in 1972 when he coached the Indian side for the qualifying matches of the 1972 Munich Olympics. He went on to coach the Indian Football Team from 1972 to 1986.[1] He joined the Tata Football Academy at Jamshedpur as its Technical Director from 1991 to 1997.[3] PK was awarded the player of the Millennium in 2005 by FIFA. He had also won the International Fair Play Award from the Olympic Committee, a feat that is yet to be repeated by any Indian footballer.In 1999, Banerjee again took up the post of the Technical director of the Indian Football team. [4] In 1961, Banerjee's father, Probhat Kumar Banerjee, died.[5] On October 26, 2006, 70-year-old Banerjee suffered a minor cerebral haemorrhage at the nursing home where he is admitted.[6]

Subimal Goswami (January 15, 1938 - , commonly known by his nickname Chuni Goswami is an Indian international footballer and first class cricketer. He was born in Kishoreganj District of undivided Bengal (now in Bangladesh). As a striker, he played 50 international matches representing India. As a first class cricketer, he played Ranji Trophy for Bengal.

Football career
Chuni Goswami holds the distinction of playing for a single club, Mohun Bagan, throughout his club career despite numerous offers from other clubs including one reported offer from Tottenham Hotspur.


Club career
Goswami joined the Mohun Bagan Junior Team in 1946 at the age of 8 years. He was a part of the Junior squad up to 1954 and then graduated to the Mohun Bagan senior team. He continued playing for Mohun Bagan till his retirement in 1968. During his stay with the club, he captained the club in 5 seasons from 1960 to 1964.


International career
Chuni Goswami made his international debut for India in 1956 during the team's 1-0 victory over the Chinese Olympic team.[3] He went on to play for India in 50 international matches including in Olympics, Asian Games, Asia Cup and Merdeka Cup. He captained India to the Asian Games Gold Medal in 1962 and a Silver in the 1964 Asia Cup in Tel Aviv and in the Merdeka Cup.


In Sixties, during our primary school days,Me and my friends actually established a Foot Ball club in our village, NABIN SANGHA. Krishana who returned from bengal and used to be an excellent player was the President and me, the general secxretary. Krishna could play any game with same intensity. His father Mandar mandal was very affectionate to me. Krishna was three or four years older than me. He left for Bengal while he was a student of class two. Mandar Babu believed that the Children should be taught in bengali Medium. Since we had to read in Hindi Medium, he shifted his eldest son krishan to hsi maternal uncle`s place in shyamnagar near Barrackpur in West bengal. Then, Bengal was struck by unprecedented Food Insecurity which led to Food Movement in bengal in sixties. thus, Krishna returned to basantipur and got admission once again in class two after two years while I was reading in class three. nabin Sangh was the idea of Krishna. Tekka, Hari, Panchoo,Ranjit and every village boy was excited. We rushed to rudrapur, the nearest city and got a Football. Elders in the Village used to play Volley Ball. But we introduced football who never knew other sports other than KABADI. We played in the middle of the village where a well was located.Often the Ball would drop into the well. It was a risky affair to get the ball. Moreover, the elders were not ready to allow us to waste our times in sports as we could not afford sports time as we had to work at home and in our fields. We were the natural incharge of domestic animals. We could play the rustic games while looking after the pets. but we were not allowed to play the team game like Football as it demanded practice time. We never lost the heart and got a playground near the river followinf beside Basantipur. Very soon, Haripura dam was created on the land and vilages of the tribals Buksa and the dam digested all the rivers in downstream. So we lost our river as well as the playground.

Later, we extended the Club while we got admission in Dineshpur High School. It was Terai nabin Sangh and was replicated on the line of Tari bengal Udbastu Samiti. Later, we esatblished another Club during Emergency, ARUNODAYA SANGHA. We realised how football was a motivation factor! during mid sixties , the flavour of Food Movement in bengal was so intense that it overwhelmed our dreams. In late sixties , the Naxal Movement haunted our soul and we used Nabin Sangh as an Awakening Tool rather than a sports club. during emergency, I had shifted myself to DSB College Nainital as a Graduation student. Since we opposed emergency, Arunodaya Sangh was never a sports club.

In Nainital, sayed ali became the first Olympian and Hockey was the keyword there. In our High school we also played hockey. Nainital hosted Traders Cup for Hockey. But we had junior senior level Football tournaments also. We boasted of DSB Hockey as well as Football teams. We had also Cricket, Soft Ball, Base ball, Basket Ball and athelitics teams in the college. but the craze for Football never lost.

But it was never the same Motivation until 1986 Football worldcup, when we actually able to see Mradona Live on TV. I have already seen Escape to Victroy, the film and had been a Pele fan. I instantly changed my loyality. Expulsion of Maradona from the World of Football haunted me so much taht I wrote a Novelletee in Hindi, ASHAREEREE, the Celestial!

Football in India was spread during the days of the British Empire. Many football clubs in India were created during this time, and pre-date many of the organisations and clubs, such as FIFA, which are predominant in the game today. The first recorded game in India took place between ‘Calcutta Club of Civilians' and ‘The Gentlemen of Barrackpore' in 1854.[2]

Calcutta FC was the first club to be established in 1872, though reports suggest that they were initially a rugby club and switched their attentions to football as late as 1894. Other early clubs include Dalhousie Club, Traders Club and Naval Volunteers Club.

Initially games were played between army teams, however clubs were soon set up around the country. Mohun Bagan Athletic Club was set up in what is now West Bengal in 1889. The club became famous in 1911 when it became the first Indian team to lift the IFA Shield, a tournament previously won only by British teams based in India. It defeated the Eastern Yorkshire Regiment 2-1 in the final of the tournament in a victory that is still regarded by many as the greatest by an Indian team before Independence.

The Indian Football Association (IFA) was established once again in Calcutta in 1893, but did not have a single Indian on its board till the 1930s.

The national football team was also quite successful until the 1970s, qualifying for Olympic tournaments and the FIFA World Cup. The team qualified for the 1950 World Cup finals in Brazil, but could not appear as they still played in their bare feet at that time.

The Indian team also won the 1951 and 1962 Asian Games gold medals in football. In 1956 the team finished fourth at the Melbourne Olympics. In August 2007, the Indian team won the Nehru Cup for the first time in its history beating Syria 1-0. In August 2008, India defeated Tajikistan 4-1 to lift the AFC Challenge Cup and inturn qualified for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar.

Kingfisher East Bengal FC
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East Bengal
Full name Kingfisher East Bengal Football Club
Nickname(s) The Red-and-Gold Brigade
Torch
Hilsa

Founded 1920
Ground East Bengal Ground or Salt Lake Stadium
(Capacity: 120,000 - SLS; 24,000 - EBG)
Chairman Dr Pranab Dasgupta
Head Coach Stanley Rozario
League I-League
2007-08 6th




Home colours



Away colours


Kingfisher East Bengal Football Club is an Indian football club based in Kolkata. The club was originally known as the East Bengal Club. In 1998, the name of the club was changed from the East Bengal Club to the Kingfisher East Bengal Football Club as United Breweries obtained a 50% stake in the club and renamed it to promote their Kingfisher beer.

East Bengal also has a multi-collaborative tie-in with Leicester City FC, UK for an exchange program with junior footballers, in respect to coaching techniques, sports science, and other developmental programs.East Bengal club was regarded as "The Best Club of India" by F.A(The Football Association)of England in 1951. East Bengal was the first Indian club to win IFA Shield for three consecutive years(1949-'51).

East Bengal has a record of winning Kolkata League for six years in a row(1970-1975).It is the first club in India to win back to back National Football League titles(2003 & 2004).The club has a record of winning 23 trophies from Indian capital New Delhi.(Durand Cup:16 times and DCM Trophy:7 times).

In 1970,East Bengal created a history by defeating Pas Club(Iran) 1-0 in IFA Shield final. It was the first victory of an Indian club over foreign team since the independence. East Bengal has a glorious past record against the foreign clubs. It is the only club in India to participate in Asian Club Championship/AFC Cup 10 times.

In 2003 July,East Bengal created sensation not only in India but in the whole continent also when they won LG Asean Cup from Jakarta beating BEC Tero Sasana in the finals.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Bengal_Club

Mohun Bagan AC
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mohun Bagan Athletic Club (Mohun Bagan AC) is a sports club, best known for its football team, based in the city of Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Mohun Bagan AC is one of the oldest football clubs in Asia, having been established on August 15, 1889 and was later declared as the National Club of India. The first President of this club was Bhupendra Nath Bose. Mohun Bagan club has a complete Football Academy in collaboration with Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) at Durgapur.

The football team has been hugely successful since its establishment and has maintained its status as one of India's most successful club having won multiple trophies of national significance. Federation Cup (India), Rovers Cup, Durand Cup, IFA Shield and National & Domestic League to name a few. Mohun Bagan was the first Indian team to defeat a European team, when the team defeated the East Yorkshire Regiment, 2-1 to lift the 1911 IFA Shield. Mohun Bagan has carried on an intense local rivalry with the East Bengal Club.
History

The First MBAC Logo, which was later on changedMohun Bagan Sporting Club, as it was initially known, was founded on 15 August 1889. The club's first meeting was held at 14, Balaram Ghosh Street in Kolkata and included several high profile individuals including Bhupendra Nath Bose who was later to become the President of the Indian National Congress. The club's first secretary was Jatindranath Basu.

The club's first ground was at the famous marble palace, known as Mohun Bagan Villa. It was situated at Fariapukur Street, in northern Kolkata. Not sufficiently large enough as football field, it is believed that Mohun Bagan played their first ever match on this very ground against the students of Eden Hindu hostel. The club's membership requirements at this time stipulated that the management required students to join with permission from their parents, and special attention was given to etiquette and education. Shortly before the club's first anniversary, students of Presidency College, who were also the members of Mohun Bagan, invited their professor, the famous grammatologist Prof. F.J. Rhow to visit. Rhow pointed out that due to a lack of facilities for sports such as shooting and angling, the word 'Athletic' would be more appropriate. Thus, the club came to be known as "Mohun Bagan Athletic Club". The 2nd anniversary assembly was presided by Sir Thomas Holland who was later appointed as a member of Governor General Council.

In 1891, the benevolence of the Maharaja of Shyampukur, Durga Charan Laha saw the club's ground relocated to his grounds at Shyampukur. Later, with the assistance of Mr. Harry Lee, the chairman of Kolkata Corporation, the club's ground moved to Shyam Square which it now shared with the Aryans Club and Bagbazar Club. Mohun Bagan's first tournament was the Coochbehar Cup, which was held in 1893. Mohun Bagan's first opponent team was a European team, the 'C' Company of Sussex Regiment.

The first sport to be played is reported to be football, but other games were soon introduced to the club. This included hockey, tennis, badminton and athletics. Cricket was introduced to the club's schedule in the 1900s. The annual athletics event at the club is held with great pomp and show.

The biggest event in the club calendar is the Mohun Bagan Day. This is held on July 29, which is the day the football team lifted the IFA Shield for the first time in 1911 defeating the British. "Mohun Bagan is not a football team. It is an oppressed country, rolling in the dust, which has just started to rise its head" - said Achintya Kumar Sengupta in "Kallol Jug" magazine after the historic victory of 1911 IFA Shield.

A postage stamp was issued by the Government of India in 1989 during the club's centenary year to commemorate the 1911 victory of the team. The then Indian Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi honoured Mohun Bagan with the title as the "National Club of India" for boosting up the Indian Nationalism which occurred after this win.

Mohun Bagan Athletic Club has been chosen among the top 11 clubs by FIFA to form an Elite Task Force for club football. As of September 2007, there are representatives from clubs like Bayern Munich, River Plate and Manchester United. This task force will work for the betterment of the club football. From India, only Swapan Sadhan Basu, Honorary President of Mohun Bagan Athletic Club is the representative at FIFA representing Mohun Bagan.[1]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohun_Bagan_AC

Maradona's goal - that Argentina win World Cup

New Argentina coach Diego Maradona has said in no uncertain terms that his goal is to win the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. He added that he will seek to avoid controversy with the high officials of world football.

"The idea is to come first (in the World Cup), not to be among the top four. I don't like that thing about the top four at all," Maradona told reporters in Glasgow on Tuesday.

The former Argentine football legend is set to make his debut as national team coach on Wednesday, in a friendly game against Scotland.

Maradona said he plans to make many changes in the Argentina team, and to push through his vision of the game.

"There will obviously be many changes. But we will have to fiddle little by little. Still, there will be changes in tactical aspects, and also changes in people."

Maradona's self-declared goal is to make the player "feel well, pampered, in the national team, happy to defend the national team jersey".

He only mentioned by name one of Argentina's players, the talented Barcelona striker Lionel Messi.

"He is going to have freedom, full freedom to play, to give us Argentines satisfaction. Let him be a passer, let him take the team forward, let him lead the team."

In a crowded press conference with several hundred reporters from around the world, Maradona appeared serene, used clear concepts and short sentences and generally avoided controversy.

However, he reacted when one British reporter asked him how he would feel if his team was eliminated from a World Cup with a goal scored with a hand - an obvious reference to Maradona's "hand of god" goal against England in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.

"Let me remind you that England won a final against Germany with a goal that was not such. And the whole world saw that. Despite the protests, history did not change. That is why I cannot be judged in any way," Maradona said, with reference to the 1966 World Cup final, in which England were awarded a doubtful goal.

Following a history of clashes with the bosses of world football, Maradona stressed that he will seek to avoid controversy.

"I will not go into controversy. Neither with (FIFA president Joseph) Blatter nor with (UEFA boss Michel) Platini, nor with anyone else. We have to tone things down. As the national team coach, I have to think a lot about my team."

At several stages during the conference, Maradona noted that the designation to coach Argentina was "a dream."

"I needed the national team and I believe the national team needed a new guide. Here I am, enjoying myself so, so much to be by the side of the players, seeking to enter their hearts," he stressed. "I always liked challenges."




There have been plentiful highs and lows, including a brush with death in 2004, since Maradona gave a scintillating performance as an 18-year-old in Argentina’s 3-1 friendly win over the Scots in February 1979.

Whether Maradona, who lifted the World Cup in 1986, can have a positive impact as coach is the question being debated in Buenos Aires and around the world.

“Of course this is a new start. But I’m not looking at it as if I have to show things. I’m here to give my support, my experience to the national team,” he said.

Wednesday’s game will be closely monitored by the family of football and he will want it to go better than his World Cup debut as a player, a shock defeat for the-then holders against Belgium in the opening game of the 1982 finals in Spain.

For the moment, and in the absence of key players Lionel Messi and Juan Roman Riquelme, Maradona just wants some of his aura to rub off on this generation, having been an inspiration behind the scenes for their Olympic gold medal three months ago.

“As long as we’ve got the ball and we get some respect for the jersey I’ll go away very calm,” Maradona told reporters upon arrival in Glasgow. “I’m not asking the lads for more, they’ve taken some knocks.”

Argentina have won only one of their last eight matches and were beaten 0-1 by Chile last month, a World Cup qualifying result that led to Alfio Basile’s resignation as coach.

“That’s what I’ll ask of them, to play for Maradona,” added the 48-year-old. “I’d have liked to have had them but Argentina can’t stand with their arms crossed if they don’t have Riquelme and Messi. We have to look for alternatives and we have them.”

The match should answer questions about who Maradona views as a playmaker, with Independiente’s Daniel Montenegro a possibility, and where he sees Carlos Tevez fitting in, attacking from deep or as a front man.

Porto midfielder Lucho Gonzalez is back after losing favour with Basile while Ezequiel Lavezzi may get the chance to establish himself as more than a bit-part player.

On Monday night, however, Celtic ball boy Adam Brown was the surprise hero, earning a big hug from Maradona when he took his first practice session.

A low-key workout by the squad ended with Maradona pacing Celtic’s Parkhead turf looking for something in the grass.

His staff took part in the search for the lost item and a dozen ball boys formed a police-style cordon and walked down the pitch before Brown found it, a crucifix on a chain.

A joyous Maradona, who had been fairly quiet during the warm-up and a nine-a-side practice game that he refereed, bounded up to the ball boys and embraced Brown.

He then gave him his woolly hat in gratitude amid cheers from a few spectators in the stands.

Maradona made his customary sign of the cross as he left the pitch, bringing to an end Argentina’s visit to Parkhead.


The 1986 finals in Mexico, where he almost 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, which 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 which saw Maradona run half the length of the field and skip past several English defenders to score.

With England out of the way, Maradona netted another magical goal in the semi-finals against Belgium, once again his stocky build and low centre of gravity giving him a fantastic 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 for the ‘boy from the Barrios’.

Born on October 30, 1960, just outside Buenos Aires, Maradona began his career playing for Los Cebollitos (The Little Onions), before he moved on to Argentinos Juniors.

His talent soon came to the attention of Argentina’s selectors, and he became his country’s youngest-ever international when he was picked for a friendly against Hungary at 16.

He captained Argentina to victory in the 1978 Youth World Cup and was voted South American Player of the Year in 1979 and 1980, Maradona was signed by Spain’s Barcelona in 1982 for a then world record transfer fee.

Following his heroics in Mexico, Maradona again played a captain’s role as Argentina reached the final of 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 0-1 to Germany.

It was the beginning of the end. In 1991, the Italian football federation suspended him for 15 months for testing positive for cocaine and Maradona retreated into obscurity.

He re-emerged in Argentine colours having slimmed down and looking fit in time for the 1994 World Cup finals in the US. But his fitness appeared to have been artificially engineered ? he was kicked out of the finals after failing a dope test for ephedrine, quitting international football thereafter.

Since his retirement in 1997 ? he finished his career with an unsuccessful two-year spell at Boca Juniors ? Maradona has been dogged by a series of health scares.

In April 2004 he suffered a heart attack following a cocaine overdose and spent weeks in intensive care. He survived that episode but his weight subsequently ballooned to alarming levels, prompting him to undergo gastric bypass surgery in 2005.

Visita su sitio oficial:
Visit his official site at:
www.diegomaradona.com

MaraDid you know that... in 1980 Argentina lost 3-1 against England at Wembley. A very young Maradona did a fantastic play starting from midfield, and going past a few opponents, but in front of the goalkeeper he decided to shoot and the ball went just a few inches wide. Six years later, in Mexico, same opponents, same play. But this time Diego goes past the goalkeeper and scores the greatest goal ever.dona in Naples
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OJE VITA, OJE VITA MIA...



Maybe you are wondering what this song is. Well, it is a Neapolitan traditional song named " 'O surdato 'nnammurato" (the soldier in love) and it is one of the most popular songs of the Napoli supporters.
The chorus "Oje vita, oje vita mia, oje core 'e chistu core, si' stata 'o primm' ammore, 'o primmo e ll'ultimo sarraje pe' me" is very famous. (oh life, oh my life, oh heart of this heart, you have been my first love, the first and the last you will be for me...) was sung at the stadium when Maradona was playing for Napoli, it was like an anthem for those glory years. The Napoli fans still sing it today when the team wins.




Maradona with Argentina
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WORLD CUPS
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Maradona with Boca Juniors

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http://www.vivadiego.com/indexeng.html
Maradona memories



Maradona, a slum and the birth of a legend
By Matt Dickinson


Argentina have appointed as their coach a former cocaine addict who prefers to watch football matches waving his shirt over his head rather than thinking logically in a dugout. A man who has enough trouble organizing his own life, never mind meeting the needs of a squad. He once kept his biographer waiting 24 hours in an hotel lobby (the writer never budged from the sofa). And he twice invited me to Buenos Aires for an interview and did not show up.


This is a man who would not do a commercial for Viagra, unlike Pelé, but would make sure he was in attractive company and then swallow the whole packet. A man who does everything to excess, be it bad timekeeping, feuds, drugs, sublime skills; and whose international coaching regime, which begins against Scotland in Glasgow today evening, is surely doomed as a result.

It is a crackers appointment, but that does not mean it is inexplicable, nor that the world does not wish him well. Look at it another way: putting Maradona in charge makes more sense to the Argentineans than turning to a Swede or an Italian -- as, in our desperation, the English have done. The national team are, after all, a representative side and no one symbolizes Argentine football or its supporting public better than Maradona.

At the last World Cup, he wore the blue-and-white shirt to every game and was spotted cowering behind his seat during tense moments. It is as “the people's player” that he wants to be remembered, the man “taken out of Villa Fiorito and given a kick in the a*** that landed me on top of the world -- but still wearing the same pair of trousers as always, my only ones, the ones I wore in winter and summer”.

We write so often about South American street urchins turned brilliant footballers that it begins to sound clichéd. But you journey into Villa Fiorito, where Maradona was raised, and you come to understand the real hardship behind that throwaway line.

The first challenge is to get there. A dozen taxi drivers in Buenos Aires refused point blank. “You supply the tank and I will think about it,” one joked, before driving off. People flee Fiorito, they don't ask to be taken into this dangerous slum.

The Riachuelo River, an industrial sewer, acts like a moat, cutting it off from Buenos Aires. But eventually we found a driver willing to take us on the half-hour journey along Route 3, albeit taking the precaution of stopping at the police station to pick up an armed escort. “Better to be safe,” Omar Bravo, our driver, said, speaking from experience. He had been held up twice in Fiorito by armed robbers.

Omar spends his spare time helping out in a centre for recovering drug addicts. “The barrio (neighborhood) is very poor and troubled. But you can still love a place full of robbers, addicts and paupers,” he said. He knew every twist and turn of Fiorito's potholed streets and, more importantly, he knew when it was wise to get out of the car for a wander. “Don't take a picture of that house, whatever you do -- drug dealer,” he barked.

There are more deprived areas of Buenos Aires -- Fort Apache, for example, the slum that was once home to Carlos Tévez, the Manchester United forward -- and there is a main street in Fiorito with a pizza parlour and a couple of shops. But it was in the warren of shabby backstreets that Maradona grew up.

Stray dogs wander around looking for scraps. Rag-and-bone men trot past on horse-drawn carts. “It wasn't easy, eh? Nothing was easy,” Maradona once said of this place. “If it was possible to eat, people ate. And if it wasn't, they didn't.” At least the Maradonas had a steady income, with Don Diego, his father, employed at the nearby bonemeal factory as a crusher.

Heading along Mario Bravo, weaving between the holes and ruts in the road, we finally turned the corner into Azamor. A couple of kids were kicking a football around the bumpy street -- “potrero”, or waste-ground children, like Maradona himself.

And then we were in front of 523, the single-storey building that is mostly unchanged since Maradona's day. This is where Maradona, now 48, spent his childhood, although no plaque marks that historic fact.

The shack still has three small rooms - one for cooking and working, a bedroom for the adults and another that housed Maradona and his seven siblings. And it still has the leaks in the roof that required the beds to be moved to avoid the rainfall.

In Maradona's day, that deluge was the only running water. He had to walk down the street to a communal tap to fill a bucket for drinking and washing. Carrying the heavy load helped to build his upper-body strength; useful for holding off malevolent opponents in the years to come.

The front of the house used to be kept clear, but now it is covered in great heaps of trash. The present residents trawl around the bins in Buenos Aires, collecting drink bottles and tin cans to exchange for money. They are grateful for a few extra pesos, although no bribe will get the photographer inside.

From this shack, it is a couple of minutes' drive to Fiorito's football pitches - although, were it not for the posts sticking out of the bare ground, you would think it was just wasteland.

A woman crosses on her bicycle, dust rising from the wheels, while old men sit in La Cabaña de Tony, sipping cold drinks and watching old jalopies slowly go by. It is strange to ponder the millions of pounds poured into English football academies and to see the scrubland that produced the world's greatest talent.

It is at the pitches where you find the only small proof that Maradona played in these streets. An old schoolfriend, Goyo Carrizo, has erected a sign hailing “38 Years of History -- 1967 to 2005”. Maradona's first proper match was here in 1967 and 2005 was when Carrizo decided that someone in Fiorito should pause from eking out a living to mark this site.

Along with Maradona, Carrizo was selected for trials by Argentinos Juniors as a kid. But he managed only a short career as a professional and was forced by poverty back to Fiorito. His friend went on to meet kings and popes, to lift the World Cup and to be coach of his country.

On the morning we visited, Carrizo was out on the pitch having a kickaround with his son. They interrupted the game to come over and make introductions. The boy's name? Diego Armando, of course. Maradona's appointment may well be crackers, but it makes sense to some.

(Source: The Times)


http://www.tehrantimes.com/Index_view.asp?code=182872


Maradona Will Change Argentina Soccer Team to Reach World Cup

By Tariq Panja

Nov. 19 (Bloomberg) -- _DELAY="50" T_WIDTH="110" T_BGCOLOR="#ddedd9" T_FONTFACE="Verdana,sans-serif" T_FONTCOLOR="#000000" T_STATIC="true" T_ABOVE="true">Diego Maradona, who begins his reign as Argentina coach tonight against Scotland, said he's ready to overhaul the national team to ensure it qualifies for the 2010 soccer _DELAY="50" T_WIDTH="120" T_BGCOLOR="#ddedd9" T_FONTFACE="Verdana,sans-serif" T_FONTCOLOR="#000000" T_STATIC="true" T_ABOVE="true">World Cup in South Africa.

``A lot needs to change,'' Maradona, 48, told reporters in Glasgow last night. ``Lots of tactical moves are needed, we must change players and the approach but what I really want to change is the players' morale. They need to be happy -- happy to wear the Argentina shirt.''

Maradona, a national icon after leading Argentina to the 1986 World Cup, was appointed two weeks ago when _DELAY="50" T_WIDTH="110" T_BGCOLOR="#ddedd9" T_FONTFACE="Verdana,sans-serif" T_FONTCOLOR="#000000" T_STATIC="true" T_ABOVE="true">Alfio Basile resigned after a run of poor results. The choice sparked criticism in soccer-crazy Argentina where Maradona's lack of coaching experience and off-field excesses concerned many.

The former national team captain has battled addictions to cocaine, alcohol and food after ending his soccer career, which reached its zenith in 1986.

``The only objective we have with this group of players is to come first,'' Maradona said. ``That's got be the aim and objective.''

Maradona almost died in 2004 when he suffered heart failure. A year later he had his stomach stapled to cut his weight after it ballooned because of binge eating. He balked yesterday when a reporter asked if he was physically up to the task of leading his country.

``I get up every day,'' he repeated three times, shaking his head, while staring at the reporter.

Lining up on the opposition bench in Glasgow will be _DELAY="50" T_WIDTH="110" T_BGCOLOR="#ddedd9" T_FONTFACE="Verdana,sans-serif" T_FONTCOLOR="#000000" T_STATIC="true" T_ABOVE="true">Terry Butcher, once an England international defender who suffered at the hands of 5-foot, 5-inch (1.65 meter) Maradona.

Hand of God

Maradona helped Argentina knock England out of the _DELAY="50" T_WIDTH="120" T_BGCOLOR="#ddedd9" T_FONTFACE="Verdana,sans-serif" T_FONTCOLOR="#000000" T_STATIC="true" T_ABOVE="true">1986 World Cup by scoring two goals, the first with his hand and the second after waltzing past many of the English players. Butcher, a Scotland assistant coach, said he won't shake his opponent's hand. Maradona is unfazed.

``I don't know why Butcher is taking this attitude,'' he said. ``Let Butcher continue with his life and I'll continue with mine.''

The English have never forgotten Maradona for his _DELAY="50" T_WIDTH="120" T_BGCOLOR="#ddedd9" T_FONTFACE="Verdana,sans-serif" T_FONTCOLOR="#000000" T_STATIC="true" T_ABOVE="true">``Hand of God'' opening goal when he punched the ball into the net. The Argentine coach said the English should get over it and added that England's _DELAY="50" T_WIDTH="120" T_BGCOLOR="#ddedd9" T_FONTFACE="Verdana,sans-serif" T_FONTCOLOR="#000000" T_STATIC="true" T_ABOVE="true">World Cup win in 1966 came courtesy of a controversial refereeing decision. England beat West Germany 4-2 after extra time, with a debate raging to this day over whether the crucial third goal from _DELAY="50" T_WIDTH="110" T_BGCOLOR="#ddedd9" T_FONTFACE="Verdana,sans-serif" T_FONTCOLOR="#000000" T_STATIC="true" T_ABOVE="true">Geoff Hurst crossed the line.

``England won a World Cup with a goal that never crossed the line,'' Maradona said. ``I don't think it's fair that people should judge me when things like that went on.''

Maradona said his focus is on the future. He takes charge of his first World Cup qualification matches in March, with _DELAY="50" T_WIDTH="120" T_BGCOLOR="#ddedd9" T_FONTFACE="Verdana,sans-serif" T_FONTCOLOR="#000000" T_STATIC="true" T_ABOVE="true">Argentina third in South America's qualifying group with eight games remaining. The top four teams qualify.

To contact the reporter on this story: _DELAY="50" T_WIDTH="110" T_BGCOLOR="#ddedd9" T_FONTFACE="Verdana,sans-serif" T_FONTCOLOR="#000000" T_STATIC="true" T_ABOVE="true">Tariq Panja at in Glasgow via London on _DELAY="50" T_WIDTH="110" T_BGCOLOR="#ddedd9" T_FONTFACE="Verdana,sans-serif" T_FONTCOLOR="#000000" T_STATIC="true" T_ABOVE="true">tpanja@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: November 18, 2008 19:01 EST
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601102&sid=aPyK3CY9_1Og&refer=uk

The world's eyes on Maradona



Diego Maradona faces media from all over the globe in Glasgow yesterday on the eve of Argentina’s friendly international with Scotland at Hampden tonight. Picture: Danny Lawson/PA
Published Date: 19 November 2008
By Glenn Gibbons
NO DUG-OUT in history will have commanded more attention than the one that is to be occupied by Diego Maradona at Hampden Park tonight, when the recently-appointed head coach of Argentina oversees his team's first outing against Scotland.


Even if the attendance falls substantially below the national stadium's 52,000 capacity, the anticipated 35,000 or so will still represent a considerable increase on the figure the SFA would normally expect for a friendly at this time of year.

The deepened interest is entirely attributable to the presence of a man who drew a crowd to his arrival at Glasgow Airport on Sunday that would have been the envy of senior football clubs throughout the land. Such will be the focus on Argentina's most revered sporting hero that it would be no surprise to discover that some photographers from the South American country will have been directed to abandon the match itself in the cause of capturing Maradona's every twitch, cough and spit during the 90 minutes of his maiden voyage.

Maradona's notoriety, the dark years as a cocaine and booze-fuelled physical and mental wreck, seems merely to have enhanced his celebration as a player whose authentic genius illuminated the game on a global scale.

Even members of the Tartan Army are likely to approach tonight's match with a certain ambiguity, desirous of a sound performance and good result for Scotland while wishing the opposing manager success in his new role.

George Burley, of course, cannot afford to share this conflict of emotions, the Scotland manager mindful solely of the need to exploit the occasion as the last opportunity to assess his players in action before the World Cup qualifying double-header away to the Netherlands and at home to Iceland at the end of March and the beginning of April.

"Maradona has created interest and that's great," said Burley. "But the media attention he has been given in the build-up to the match hasn't interfered with our focus.

"We have our own agenda, we know what we want to do in the match, and it will all be geared towards our meetings with Holland and Iceland in the spring."

Every football team is a continuous work in progress, never completed, but it could be said that Burley's has fallen behind schedule, thanks to the defeat in Macedonia and the draw with Norway at home that have left the Scots with just four points from their first three matches in Group 9 of the 2010 World Cup qualifying.

The manager conceded yesterday that the benefit to accrue from a meeting with Argentina would have to be general, rather than specific, in that it would be impossible to make a direct correlation between a friendly against the South Americans and a visit to Amsterdam for a competitive match against the group favourites.

Having confirmed that Barry Ferguson will return as captain, that Allan McGregor will replace the injured Craig Gordon in goal and that Chris Iwelumo will play in attack, Burley added: "In friendly matches, whoever you're playing, it's about looking at your own team, examining partnerships, seeing how players cope with all the examinations international football presents.

"If you're playing top-quality opponents, as we are, so much the better, the more you'll find out. I've had my team and the shape they'll play in my mind for a while and the call-offs we've had won't really change that. Yes, we've lost Darren Fletcher from midfield, but we had also lost Barry Ferguson for a long time and we've dealt with it and now Barry's back."

Burley's words suggested Ferguson will be a straight replacement for the Manchester United man and that he will minimise changes to the team which played the scoreless draw with Norway. With another midfielder who started the Norway game, James Morrison, also a casualty, it seems most likely that he will be replaced by Barry Robson.

Burley has decisions to make over the full-backs. Alan Hutton, now recovered from injury, is expected to regain the place on the right taken by his former Rangers team-mate, Kirk Broadfoot.

On the left, Burley has to choose from two players, Gary Naysmith and Jamie McAllister, who have not played for a month.

Burley dismisses the idea that the Scots could spend the night chasing shadows and, as a consequence of being comprehensively outplayed, sustain damage to their morale. "We can't worry about that kind of thing," he said.

"The only way we can compete with Argentina, or Holland for that matter, is by working harder than them. We won't do it by trying to match them in individual skills. One difference we would expect to see from the Norway game is more support in forward areas.

"Chris Iwelumo is very much in our plans. He gives us a target option we haven't had before and he can hold the ball and bring others in. Chris wasn't known as a natural scorer, but he's shown with Wolves this season that he can score goals all right – usually. Yes, he missed that great chance against Norway, but that was a one in a million thing and I'm sure it won't bother him."
http://sport.scotsman.com/sport/The-world39s-eyes-on-Maradona.4706877.jp



Celtic ball boy saves day for Maradona
Tue Nov 18, 2008 7:05am IST

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By Rex Gowar

GLASGOW (Reuters) - Celtic ball boy Adam Brown was the surprise hero on Monday night, earning a big hug from Diego Maradona when Argentina's new coach took his first practice session.

A low-key workout by the squad as they prepared for Wednesday's friendly against Scotland at nearby Hampden Park ended with the stocky 48-year-old Maradona pacing Celtic's Parkhead turf looking for something in the grass.

His staff took part in the search for the lost item and a dozen ball boys formed a police-style cordon and walked down the pitch before Brown found it, a crucifix on a chain.

A joyous Maradona, who had been fairly quiet during the warm-up and a nine-a-side practice game which he refereed, bounded up to the ball boys and embraced Brown.

He then gave him his woolly hat in gratitude amid cheers from a few spectators in the stands.

Maradona made his customary sign of the cross as he left the pitch, bringing to an end Argentina's visit to Parkhead. The squad will practice behind closed doors at Hampden on Tuesday evening.

Celtic put a welcome message on their giant screen including a photo of a teenage Maradona when he inspired his country to a 3-1 victory over Scotland at Hampden in 1979.

Maradona, who will give a news conference at the team's hotel on Tuesday (1600 GMT), did not speak to reporters after practice.

Oct 30, 1961 - Diego Armando Maradona was born on October 30, 1961 in Villa Fiorito, Argentina. During his childhood in the slums of Villa Fiorito outside Buenos Aires, Maradona dreamed of becoming a great soccer player. His family was poor. His father, a bricklayer and ...Diego Armando Maradona was born on October 30, 1961 in Villa Fiorito, Argentina. During his childhood in the slums of Villa Fiorito outside Buenos Aires, Maradona dreamed of becoming a great soccer player. His family was poor. His father, a bricklayer and factory worker, struggled to provide for three boys, five girls, and his stay-at-home wife. Poverty was not a deterrent to success, however. Maradona was given his first soccer ball by his cousin, Beto Zarate, on his third ... Read more In brief

From Diego Maradona – FREE Diego Maradona Information... - Related web pages
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Oct 30, 1961 - Diego Maradona: Biography and Much More from Answers.com Diego Armando Maradona was born on October 30, 1961 in Villa Fiorito, Argentina.

From Maradona, Diego Armando - Information from... - Related web pages
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Oct 30, 1961 - Diego Armando Maradona was born on October 30, 1961 in Villa Fiorito, Argentina.

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Oct 30, 1961 - was a triumph for Argentina and made Maradona the most famous soccer player since ... the World Cup title." Little Onions Diego Armando Maradona was born on October 30, 1961 in Villa ... Zarate, on his third birthday. Young Diego slept with the ball that ...Encyclopedia of World Biography ... was a triumph for Argentina and made Maradona the most famous soccer player since ... the World Cup title." Little Onions Diego Armando Maradona was born on October 30, 1961 in Villa ... Zarate, on his third birthday. Young Diego slept with the ball that night. By the ... 17th test showed traces ... Read more. Read more In brief

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Oct 30, 1961 - Born on October 30, 1961, Diego Armando Maradona came from a poor family. He grew up in the slums of Villa Fiorita near Buenos Aires. His parents struggled to bring up a family of eight siblings. This Maradona biography reveals how as a young boy, Maradona dreamed of ...

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Diego Maradona inherits an Argentine team which has made a poor start to the World Cup 2010 qualifiers. But there is abundant talent in the team. Now Maradona must inspire them, writes Brian Glanville.







Perhaps it was written in the stars. That one day Diego Maradona, star of Argentinian stars, would emerge from his various travails and manage the national team which he had twice inspired to World Cup success. Diego himself says that he was surprised to be chosen. But he seems blessedly to have recovered from his enormous physical problems, much influenced by drugs, cured it seems in his Cuban sojourn, to emerge a far slimmer, more healthy figure.

To question his appointment on the grounds of lack of managerial experience would perhaps be mistaken.

After all he has been twice in charge of clubs, albeit only briefly. And other Titans of the game, Franz Beckenbauer and Jurgen Klinsmann of Germany, Michel Platini of France, were made managers of their national team with no managerial experience at all.

On the field, Maradona was beyond doubt a priceless inspiration to his Argentine teams. It is unthinkable that they would have won either of those World Cups without him. And he will start with the great advantage of being respected, even hero worshipped, by his players. But, as we well know, his temperament has always been explosive, his career however glittering was punctuated by episodes of violence and contention.

Still, he will have at his shoulder Carlos Bilardo, manager of the World Cup winning Argentine teams. The national manager who shrugged off the criticisms of the country’s President to win the World Cup in Mexico in 1986. A qualified research medical doctor, he was also the man who headed poor Nobby Stiles above the eye in the notorious World Club Cup match in Buenos Aires in 1968; a game if you can thus describe it which I saw. Stiles himself was, ironically, sent off for a trivial offence.

Maradona was a boy wonder, a star at 16 who, surprisingly, was at 17 left out of the Argentina 1978 World Cup squad by his mentor, Cesar “El Flaco” Menotti. Surely a mistake. Alonso, who filled Maradona’s spot, was competent enough, but given the fact that Argentina prevailed in their vital last qualifying pool match against Peru because they unquestionably bought the game, and given how very nearly they lost the final to Holland, you might think that Maradona even then might have made a difference.

Curiously, he didn’t make all that much four years later in Spain, though he was very much the victim in the match against Italy, in Barcelona, when he was continually obstructed by the notorious Claudio Gentile; who got away with it. It looked as if Maradona took out his frustration on the unfortunate Brazilian midfielder Batista in the ensuing game when a shocking foul had him sent off.

Mexico 1986, however, saw him scale heights as breathless as those on which, at the Azteca Stadium, the games were played. Both against England and in the subsequent match against Belgium he scored goals of dazzling solo virtuosity, spinning his way past man after man. Even if there were those who thought that the goal against England might have been somewhat conditioned by the fact that he had previously scored with the notorious ‘Hand of God’, punching the ball home when keeper Peter Shilton went for it. “The England team,” Gianni Melidoni, the Italian critic, told me, “were still in state of shock, like a man who has just had his wallet stolen.” There was no doubt however that Maradona was the shining inspiration of his team.

Leaving Argentina for Barcelona and Naples, he had his vertiginous ups and downs. In Spain, he was viciously kicked by a ruthless opponent, Andoni Goicoechea, and ruled out of the game for months. In Naples, where he was adored, and whom he enabled to win their first ever scudetto, he made dubious relations with the Camorra, the local Mafia, and was reportedly taking cocaine.

Back, subsequently, in Buenos Aires, his health deteriorated, his weight soared up and he was in trouble when he shot at journalists who were besieging his house. Yet, as though miraculously, there he was again in 1994 for the World Cup in the United States, playing as though he had never suffered his previous troubles. Until, after his team’s victory over Nigeria, a dope test showed that there were several types of ephedrine in his system and he was consequently packed off home, crying “conspiracy”; insisting that FIFA were taking revenge on him.

Episodes of violence have chequered his career. Not least in the days before the World Cup Final of 1990 in Rome when, at the Roma training camp of Trigoria, he and his brother viciously attacked a guard, after the brother had been pulled up, illicitly driving Maradona’s car. The other side of the coin saw Maradona struggling heroically and, in the match against Brazil, decisively, with a painfully injured ankle. He did manage to play in the torrid final against the Germans but he was plainly in dire straits.

I’ve met Maradona only once and it was a beguiling occasion, one which showed another side of this complex, gifted and impulsive man. The scene was the little stadium of an Italian C2 club, Latina, the town dug out of the swamps by Mussolini. Napoli came to play a friendly game against the local team and another C2 side in Civita Vecchia, each of whom played one half. Maradona, far from eliciting applause, trotted happily on to the field, pursued by a retinue of delighted small boys. He then proceeded to play the whole of the game, which few expected, enthralling the crowd with his shots and insidious free kicks.

Afterwards, I knocked on the door of the Napoli dressing room. It was opened by Maradona’s Press officer, Senor Blanco who reminded me we’d met in Buenos Aires in the office of the magazine, El Grafico. I told an amused Maradona that when a year earlier, I’d been at the same stadium it was to watch my 17-year-old son Toby play midfield for the Formia youth team against Latina. A pleasant meeting.

Maradona inherits an Argentine team which, as we know, has made a poor start to the World Cup 2010 qualifiers, falling seven points behind the leaders Paraguay, with whom they drew in Buenos Aires. But there is abundant talent in the team — the dazzling young Lionel Messi, whom Maradona recently criticised but who seems to have forgiven him, Sergio Aguero for whom Mark Hughes of Manchester City is prepared to shell out £35 million, Javier Mascherano. Now Maradona must inspire them.








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Diego Maradona
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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"Maradona" redirects here. For other uses, see Maradona (disambiguation).
Diego Armando Maradona

Personal information
Full name Diego Armando Maradona
Date of birth 30 October 1960 (1960-10-30) (age 48)
Place of birth Lanus, Argentina
Height 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
Playing position Supporting striker,
Attacking Midfielder
Youth clubs
1969–1976 Argentinos Juniors
Senior clubs1
Years Club App (Gls)*
1976–1981
1981–1982
1982–1984
1984–1991
1992–1993
1993
1995–1997 Argentinos Juniors
Boca Juniors
Barcelona
Napoli
Sevilla
Newell's Old Boys
Boca Juniors
Career 166 0(116)
040 0(28)
058 0(38)
259 0(115)
029 00(7)
007 00(0)
031 00(7)
590 (311)
National team
1977–1994 Argentina 091 0(34)
Teams managed
1994
1995
2008– Mandiyú de Corrientes
Racing Club de Avellaneda
Argentina
1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only.
* Appearances (Goals)


Diego Armando Maradona (born 30 October 1960) is an Argentine ex-football player, and coach of the Argentine national side. He 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. [1][2][3]

Over the course of his professsional club career Maradona played for Boca Juniors, FC Barcelona, and, most distinguishedly, SSC Napoli. In his international career, playing for Argentina, he earned 91 caps and scored 34 goals. He played in four FIFA World Cup tournaments, including the 1986 World Cup where he captained Argentina and led them to their victory over West Germany in the final, winning the Golden Ball award as the tournament's best player. In that same tournament's quarter-final round he scored two remarkable goals in a 2-1 victory over England which instantly cemented his fame. 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".

For various reasons, Maradona is considered one of the sport's most controversial and newsworthy figures. He was suspended from football for 15 months in 1991 after failing a doping test for cocaine in Italy, and he was sent home from the 1994 World Cup in the USA for using ephedrine.

After retiring from playing on his 37th birthday in 1997,[4] he increasingly suffered ill health and weight gain, hardly helped by ongoing cocaine abuse. In 2005 a stomach stapling operation helped control his weight gain. After overcoming his cocaine addiction, he became a popular TV host in Argentina.[5]

In October 2008, in a move which surprised many, Maradona was named as the new head coach of the Argentina national football team. He is scheduled to take control in December of 2008.[6]

Contents
[hide]
1 Early years
2 Club career
3 International career
3.1 1982 World Cup
3.2 1986 World Cup
3.3 1990 World Cup
3.4 1994 World Cup
4 Playing style
5 Retirement and honours
6 Managerial Career
6.1 Club management
6.2 International management
7 Personal life
8 Drug abuse and health situation
9 Political views
10 Reputation
11 Career statistics
11.1 Club
11.2 International
12 Statistics
12.1 Club
12.2 National team
13 Honours
13.1 Club
13.2 Country
13.3 Individual
14 References
15 External links



[edit] Early years
Diego Armando Maradona was born in Lanus, but raised in Villa Fiorito, a shantytown on the southern outskirts of Buenos Aires,[7] to a poor family that had moved from Corrientes Province. He was the first son after three daughters. He has two younger brothers, Hugo (el Turco) and Eduardo (Lalo), both of whom were also professional football players.

At age 11, Maradona was spotted by a talent scout while he was playing in his neighborhood club Estrella Roja. He became a staple of Los Cebollitas (The Little Onions), the junior team of Buenos Aires's Argentinos Juniors. As a 12-year-old ball boy, he amused spectators by showing his wizardry with the ball during the halftime intermissions of first division games.[8]


[edit] Club career


Maradona playing for Boca Juniors during 1981
20 October 1976, Maradona made his professional debut with Argentinos Juniors, only ten days before his sixteenth birthday.[4] He played there between 1976 and 1981, before his £1m transfer to Boca Juniors. Joining the squad midway through the 1981 season, Maradona played through 1982, and secured his first league winners' medal.

After the 1982 World Cup, in June, Maradona was transferred to FC Barcelona in Spain for a then world record £5m.[4] In 1983, under coach César Luis Menotti, Barcelona and Maradona won the Copa del Rey (Spain's annual national cup competition), beating Real Madrid, and the Spanish Super Cup, beating Athletic de Bilbao. However, Maradona had a difficult tenure in Barcelona.[9] First a bout with hepatitis, then a broken leg caused by an ill-timed tackle by Athletic Bilbao's Andoni Goikoetxea jeopardized his career,[4] but Maradona's physical strength and willpower made it possible for him to soon be back on the pitch. At Barcelona Maradona got into frequent disputes with the team's directors, especially club president Josep Lluís Nuñez, and in 1984, he demanded a transfer out of Nou Camp. He was transferred to SSC Napoli in Italy's Serie A for another record fee, £6.9m.

In Napoli, Maradona reached the peak of his professional career. He quickly became an adored star among the club's fans, and in his time there he elevated the team to the most successful era in its history. Led by Maradona, Napoli won their only Italian Championships in 1986/87 and 1989/1990, placing second in the league twice, in 1987/88 and 1988/89. Other honors during the Maradona era at Napoli included the Coppa Italia in 1987, (second place in the Coppa Italia in 1989), the UEFA Cup in 1989 and the Italian Supercup in 1990. Maradona was the top scorer in Serie A in 1987/88.

However, during his time in Italy, Maradona's personal problems increased. His cocaine use continued, and he received US$ 70,000 in fines from his club for missing games and practices, ostensibly because of 'stress'. [10] He faced a scandal there regarding an illegitimate son; and he was also the object of some suspicion over an alleged friendship with the Camorra.[11]

After serving a 15-month ban for failing a drug test for cocaine, Maradona left Napoli in disgrace in 1992. By the time he joined his next team, Sevilla FC (1992-93), he had not played professional football for two years, and he would never again reach his previous heights. In 1993 he played for Newell's Old Boys and in 1995 he returned to Boca Juniors for 2 years.[4]



[edit] International career


Maradona made his full international debut for Argentina aged 16 in a game against Hungary on 27 February 1977


Maradona and the Youth World Cup trophy in 1979
Along with his time at Napoli, international football is where Maradona found his fame. Playing for the Albicelestes of the Argentina national football team, he participated in four consecutive FIFA World Cup tournaments, leading Argentina to victory in 1986 and to second place in 1990.

He made his full international debut at age 16, against Hungary on 27 February 1977. At age 18, he played the Football World Youth Championship for Argentina, and was the star of the tournament, shining in their 3–1 final win over the Soviet Union. On 2 June 1979, Maradona scored his first senior international goal in a 3–1 win against Scotland at Hampden Park.[12]


[edit] 1982 World Cup
Maradona played his first World Cup tournament in 1982. In the first round, Argentina, the defending champions, lost to Belgium. Although the team convincingly beat Hungary and El Salvador to progress to the second round, they were defeated in the second round by Brazil and by eventual winners Italy. Maradona played in all five matches without being substituted, scoring twice against Hungary, but was sent off with 5 minutes remaining in the game against Brazil for serious foul play.


[edit] 1986 World Cup
Maradona captained the Argentine national team to victory in the 1986 FIFA World Cup, winning the final in Mexico against West Germany. Throughout the 1986 World Cup, Maradona asserted his dominance and was the most dynamic player of the tournament. He played every minute of every Argentina game, scored 5 goals and made 5 assists. However, it was the two goals he scored in a 2–1 quarter-final win against England which cemented his legend.

This particular match was played in the background of the Falklands war between those 2 very countries and emotions still were lingering in the air throughout the entire match. Replays showed that the first goal was scored by striking the ball with his hand. Maradona was coyly evasive, describing it as "a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God." The play became known as the "Hand of God," or "la mano de Dios." Ultimately, on 22 August 2005 Maradona later acknowledged on his television show that he had hit the ball with his hand purposely, and that he immediately knew the goal was illegitimate. However, the goal stood, much to the wrath of the England players.

Maradona's second goal was to be later voted by FIFA as the greatest goal in the history of the World Cup. He picked up the ball in his own half and with 11 touches swiveled around and ran more than half the length of the field, dribbling past five English players: (Glenn Hoddle, Peter Reid, Kenny Sansom, Terry Butcher, and Terry Fenwick) and goalkeeper Peter Shilton. This goal was voted the Goal of the Century in a 2002 online poll conducted by FIFA.

Maradona followed this with two more goals in the semi-final against Belgium, including another virtuoso dribbling display for the second goal. In the final, the opposing West German side attempted to contain him by double-marking, but he nevertheless found the space to give the final pass to Jorge Burruchaga for the winning goal. Argentina beat West Germany 3–2 in front of 115,000 spectators at the Azteca Stadium and Maradona lifted the World Cup trophy, ensuring that he would be remembered as one of the greatest names in football history. In a tribute to him, the Azteca Stadium authorities built a statue of him scoring the "goal of the century" and placed it at the entrance of the stadium.


[edit] 1990 World Cup
Maradona captained Argentina again in the 1990 FIFA World Cup. An ankle injury affected his overall performance, and he was much less dominant than four years earlier. Argentina were almost eliminated in the first round, only qualifying in third position from their group. In the round of 16 match against Brazil, Claudio Caniggia scored the only goal after being set up by Maradona.

In the quarter final, Argentina faced Yugoslavia, the match ending 0–0 after 120 minutes, and Argentina advancing on penalty kicks, despite Maradona missing one of the penalties in the shootout with a weak shot at the centre of the goal. The semifinal against the host nation Italy was also resolved on penalties after a 1–1 draw; this time, Maradona was successful with his effort, daringly placing the ball at the exact same spot as his missed penalty in the previous round. In the final, Argentina lost 1–0 to West Germany, the only goal being a penalty by Andreas Brehme in the 85th minute after a controversial foul on Rudi Völler.


[edit] 1994 World Cup
At the 1994 FIFA World Cup Maradona played in only two games, scoring one goal against Greece, before being sent home after failing a drug test for ephedrine doping. In his autobiography, Maradona argued that the test result was due to his personal trainer giving him the power drink Rip Fuel. His claim was that the U.S. version, unlike the Argentine one, contained the chemical and that, having run out of his Argentinian dosage, his trainer unwittingly bought the U.S. formula. FIFA subsequently expelled him from USA '94 and Argentina were subsequently eliminated in the second round. Maradona has also separately claimed that he had an agreement with FIFA, on which the organization reneged, to allow him to use the drug for weight loss before the competition in order to be able to play.[13] According to Maradona, this was so that the World Cup would not lose prestige because of his absence. This allegation has never been proven.


[edit] Playing style
See also: Argentine Football Creole Style


Maradona playing for Argentinos Juniors in 1980
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),[14] 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.


[edit] Retirement and honours
In 2000, Maradona published his autobiography Yo Soy El Diego ("I am The Diego"), which became an instant bestseller[15] in his home country. Two years later, Maradona donated the Cuban royalties of his book to "the Cuban people and Fidel."[16]

FIFA conducted a fan poll on the Internet in 2000, to elect the Player of the Century. Maradona finished top of the poll with 53.6% of the vote. Subsequently, however, and contrary to the original announcement of how the award would be decided, FIFA appointed a "Football Family" committee of football experts that voted to award Pelé the title. Maradona protested at the change in procedure, and declared he would not attend the ceremony if Pelé replaced him. Eventually, two awards were made, one to each of the pair. Maradona accepted his prize, but left the ceremony without waiting to see Pelé receive his accolade.[2]



Maradona at the Soccer Aid friendly match in 2006, after losing weight
In 2001, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) asked FIFA for authorization to retire the jersey number 10 for Maradona. FIFA did not grant the request, even though Argentine officials have maintained that FIFA hinted that it would.[17]

Maradona has won other fan polls, including a 2002 FIFA poll in which his second goal against England was chosen as the best goal ever scored in a World Cup; he also won the most votes in a poll to determine the All-Time Ultimate World Cup Team.

Argentinos Juniors named its stadium after Maradona, 26 December 2003.

22 June 2005, it was announced that Maradona would return to Boca Juniors as a sports vice president in charge of managing the First Division roster (after a disappointing 2004–05 season, which coincided with Boca's centenary).[18] His contract began 1 August 2005, and one of his first recommendations proved to be very effective: he was the one who decided to hire Alfio Basile as the new coach. With Maradona fostering a close relationship with the players, Boca went on to win the 2005 Apertura title, the 2006 Clausura title, the 2005 Copa Sudamericana and the 2005 Recopa Sudamericana.

15 August 2005, Maradona made his debut as host of a talk-variety show on Argentine television, La Noche del 10 ("The Night of the no. 10"). His main guest on opening night was Pelé; the two had a friendly chat, showing no signs of past differences. However, the show also included a cartoon villain with a clear physical resemblance to Pelé. In subsequent evenings, he led the ratings on all occasions but one. Most guests were drawn from the worlds of football and show business, including Zidane, Ronaldo and Hernán Crespo, but also included interviews with other notable personalities such as Fidel Castro and Mike Tyson.

26 August 2006, it was announced that Maradona was quitting his position in the club Boca Juniors because of disagreements with the AFA, who selected Basile to be the new coach of the Argentina National Football Team.[19]

The award-winning Serbian filmmaker Emir Kusturica made a documentary about Maradona's life, entitled Maradona.

In September 2006, Maradona, in his famous blue and white number 10, was the captain for Argentina in a three-day World Cup of Indoor Football tournament in Spain.

In 2006, Diego Maradona was appointed as a Goodwill Ambassador of the Intergovernmental Institution for the use of Micro-algae Spirulina Against Malnutrition, IIMSAM.[20]


[edit] Managerial Career

[edit] Club management
He attempted to work as a coach on two short stints, leading Mandiyú of Corrientes (1994) and Racing Club (1995), but without much success.


[edit] International management
In 2008, following the resignation of Argentina national football team coach Alfio Basile. Maradona immediately proposed his candidacy for the vacant role. According to several press sources, his major challengers included Diego Simeone, Carlos Bianchi, Miguel Ángel Russo and Sergio Batista. On October 29 2008, AFA chairman Julio Grondona confirmed that Maradona would be the head coach of the national side from December 2008.[21]


[edit] Personal life


Maradona in 1981
Maradona married long-time fiancée Claudia Villafañe on November 7, 1989 in Buenos Aires, after the birth of their daughters, Dalma Nerea (b. 1987) and Giannina Dinorah (b. 1989). In his autobiography, Maradona admits he was not always faithful to Claudia, even though he refers to her as the love of his life.

Maradona and Villafañe divorced in 2004. Daughter Dalma has since asserted that the divorce was the best solution for all, as her parents remained on friendly terms. They traveled together to Napoli for a series of homages in June 2005[22] and were seen together on many other occasions, including the Argentina matches during 2006 FIFA World Cup.

During the divorce proceedings, Maradona admitted he was the father of Diego Sinagra (b. Naples, 1986), as was claimed by the youth's mother Cristiana Sinagra. (The Italian courts had so ruled in 1993, after Maradona refused to undergo DNA tests for proving or disproving his paternity.) Diego Jr. met Maradona for the first time in May 2003 after tricking his way onto a golf course in Naples where Maradona was playing.[23]

After the divorce, Claudia embarked on a career as a theatre producer, and Dalma is seeking an acting career; she has expressed her desire to attend the Actor's Studio in Los Angeles.[24][25] Maradona has authored an autobiography entitled "Yo Soy El Diego" chronicling his life, both on and off the playing field. His autobiography was translated and published in English as Maradona: The Autobiography of Soccer's Greatest and Most Controversial Star. (ISBN 1602390274)


[edit] Drug abuse and health situation
See also: List of sportspeople sanctioned for doping offences
From the mid-1980s until 2004 Diego Maradona was addicted to cocaine. He allegedly began using the drug in Barcelona in 1983. [26] By the time he was playing for Napoli he had a regular addiction, which began to interfere with his ability to play football. "The New York Times: SOCCER; Maradona Sentenced" (1991-19-09).

Over the years following his retirement his health seriously deteriorated. Maradona had a tendency to put on weight, and suffered increasingly from obesity from the end of his playing career until undergoing gastric bypass surgery in a clinic in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia on 6 March 2005. When Maradona resumed public appearances shortly thereafter, he displayed a notably thinner figure.


18 April 2004, doctors reported that Maradona had suffered a major heart attack following a cocaine overdose; he was admitted to intensive care in a Buenos Aires hospital. Scores of fans gathered around the clinic. Days after the heart attack, a nurse was caught taking photos of Maradona with a mobile phone and was promptly fired by the hospital managers.[citation needed]

Fortunately he showed improvement and was taken off the respirator 23 April and remained in intensive care for several days before being discharged, 29 April. He returned to Cuba, where he had spent most of his time in the years leading up to the heart attack, in May.

29 March 2007, Maradona was readmitted to a hospital in Buenos Aires. He was treated for hepatitis and effects of alcohol abuse, and was released on 11 April, but re-admitted two days later.[27] In the following days there were constant rumors about his health, including three false claims of his death within a month.[28] After transfer to a psychiatric clinic specialising in alcohol-related problems, he was discharged on May 7.[29]

8 May 2007, Maradona appeared on Argentine television and stated that he had quit drinking and had not used drugs in two and a half years.[30]


[edit] Political views
During the nineties, Diego Maradona supported the presidency of Carlos Menem in Argentina. In more recent years, Maradona has shown more sympathy to left-wing ideologies. He became friends with Fidel Castro while in treatment in Cuba. He has a portrait of Castro tattooed on his left leg and one of Ernesto "Che" Guevara on his right arm.[31]

Maradona is also a supporter of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez. In 2005 he visited Venezuela with the specific aim of meeting Chávez, who received him in Miraflores. After this meeting Maradona claimed that he had come with the aim of meeting a "great man" ("un grande" in Spanish) but he had met instead a gigantic man ("un gigante" in Spanish, meaning he was more than great).

"I believe in Chávez, I am Chavista. Everything Fidel does, everything Chávez does, for me is the best."[32]

He has declared his opposition to imperialism, notably during the 2005 Summit of the Americas in Mar del Plata, Argentina. There he protested George W. Bush's presence in Argentina, wearing a T-shirt labeled "STOP BUSH" and referring to Bush as "human garbage".[33][34]

In August 2007, Maradona went further, making an appearance on Chávez's weekly television show and saying: "I hate everything that comes from the United States. I hate it with all my strength." [35]

In December 2007, Maradona presented a signed shirt with a message of support to the people of Iran: it is to be displayed in the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs' museum. [36]


[edit] Reputation
Ever since 1986, it is common for Argentines abroad to hear Maradona's name as a token of recognition, even in remote places.[9] The Tartan Army sing a version of the Hokey Cokey in honour of the Hand of God goal against England.[37] In Argentina, Maradona is often talked about in terms reserved for legends. In the Argentine film El Hijo de la Novia ("The bride's son"), an actor who plays a fake Catholic priest says to a bar patron: "they idolized him and then crucified him". When scolded by a friend for taking the prank too far, the fake priest retorts: "But I was talking about Maradona".

In Rosario city, Argentina, fans organized the "Church of Maradona." Maradona's 43rd birthday in 2003 marked the start of the Year 43 D.D. - "Después de Diego" or After Diego - for its founding 200 members. Tens of thousands more[38] have become members via the church's official web site.

Hounded for years by the press, Maradona once fired a compressed-air rifle at reporters who, so he claimed, were invading his privacy. This quote from former teammate Jorge Valdano summarizes the feelings of many:

“ He is someone many people want to emulate, a controversial figure, loved, hated, who stirs great upheaval, especially in Argentina... Stressing his personal life is a mistake. Maradona has no peers inside the pitch, but he has turned his life into a show, and is now living a personal ordeal that should not be imitated. [39] ”

A television commercial for Brazilian soft drink Guaraná Antarctica portrayed Maradona as a member of the Brazilian national football team, including wearing the yellow jersey and singing the Brazilian national anthem with Brazilian caps Kaká and Ronaldo. Later on in the commercial he wakes up realizing it was nightmare after having drank too much of the soft drink. This generated some controversy in the Argentine media after its release (although the commercial was not supposed to air on the Argentine market, fans could see it via internet). Maradona replied that he has no problem in wearing the Brazilian national squad jersey, instead, only in wearing River Plate's jersey "Maradona diz não se arrepender de usar camisa do Brasil na TV". AdNews. Retrieved on 2008-08-14..

In May 2006, Maradona agreed to take part in UK's Soccer Aid (a program to raise money for Unicef). Maradona scored a penalty but it was too late to save the match which England won 2-1.[40]


[edit] Career statistics

[edit] Club
His overall average of goals scored per match in domestic club competitions is 0.53.

[edit] International
Started in 21 consecutive matches for Argentina in four World Cups (1982, 1986, 1990, 1994)
Appeared a World Cup-record 16 times as captain of the national team.
Scored 8 goals and made 8 assists in 21 World Cup appearances, including 5 goals and 5 assists in 1986
Tied for second-highest goal-scorer from Argentina in World Cup finals (equaled Guillermo Stabile's mark in 1994; surpassed by Gabriel Batistuta in 1998)

[edit] Statistics

[edit] Club
Club performance League Cup Continental Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Argentina League Cup South America Total
1976 Argentinos Juniors Primera División 11 2 - - 11 2
1977 49 19 - - 49 19
1978 35 25 - - 35 25
1979 27 26 - - 27 26
1980 45 43 - - 45 43
1981 Boca Juniors Primera División 40 28 - - 40 28
Spain League Copa del Rey Europe Total
1982–83 Barcelona La Liga 20 11 5 3 4 5 29 19
1983–84 16 11 4 1 3 3 23 15
Italy League Coppa Italia Europe Total
1984–85 Napoli Serie A 30 14 6 3 - 36 17
1985–86 29 11 2 2 - 31 13
1986–87 29 10 10 7 2 0 41 17
1987–88 28 15 9 6 2 0 39 21
1988–89 26 9 12 7 12 3 50 19
1989–90 28 16 3 2 5 0 36 18
1990–91 18 6 3 2 4 2 25 10
Spain League Copa del Rey Europe Total
1992–93 Sevilla La Liga 26 5 3 3 - 29 8
Argentina League Cup South America Total
1993–94 Newell's Old Boys Primera División 7 0 - - 7 0
1995–96 Boca Juniors Primera División 11 3 - - 11 3
1996–97 13 2 - - 13 2
1997–98 6 2 - - 6 2
Total Argentina 240 150 - - 240 150
Spain 62 27 12 7 7 8 81 42
Italy 188 81 54 29 25 5 267 115
Career Total 490 258 66 36 32 13 588 321


[edit] National team

[edit] Honours

[edit] Club
Boca Juniors
Primera División: 1981
FC Barcelona
Copa del Rey: 1983
Copa de la Liga: 1983
Spanish Super Cup: 1983
SSC Napoli
Serie A: 1987, 1990
Coppa Italia: 1987
Capocannoniere: 1988
UEFA Cup: 1989
Italian Super Cup: 1990

[edit] Country
Argentina
FIFA World Youth Championship: 1979
FIFA World Cup:
Winner: 1986
Runner-up: 1990
Artemio Franchi Trophy: 1993
75th anniversary FIFA Cup: 1979

[edit] Individual
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

[edit] References
^ BBC - "cyber-blitz by Maradona fans in Internet Poll"
^ a b CNNSI - "Split decision: Pelé, Maradona each win FIFA century awards after feud" Last retrieved May 30, 2006
^ However, it should be mentioned that Pelé and numerous FIFA officials criticised the poll for a number of methodological shortcomings, most notably, for the 'recency effect'. In a separate survey conducted by the IFFHS, Maradona placed 5th best player of the century, behind fellow countryman Alfredo Di Stefano.
^ a b c d e A SUMMARY OF MARADONA's LIFE www.vivadiego.com. Retrieved 18 August 2006.
^ Five days with Diego Jason Bernard, news.bbc.co.uk, 30 April 2006. Retrieved 6 August 2006.
^ http://www.clarin.com/diario/2008/10/28/um/m-01790683.htm Article in Newpaper ClarinSpanish
^ The greatest rags-to-riches stories everJames Dart, Paul Doyle and Jon Hill, 12 April 2006. Retrieved 18 August 2006.
^ The Hand of God Retrieved 18 August 2006.
^ a b That's one hell of a diet, Diego8 January 2006. Guardian Newspapers Limited. Retrieved 13 August 2006.
^ http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE3D6153EF930A25752C0A967958260
^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/3639425.stm
^ MacPherson, Graeme. Maradona to receive Hampden welcome, The Herald, 30 October 2008.
^ Diego Maradona - Career History and Profle Alan Hylands, about.com. Retrieved 16 October 2007.
^ Maradona's World Cup magic BBC Sport. Retrieved 18 August 2006.
^ Maradona 'tells all' in autobiography Associated Press. Posted: 12/20/2000. Retrieved 18 August 2006.
^ Maradona donates royalties from Cuban edition of his book Anne-Marie Garcia, 21 February 2002. Retrieved 18 August 2006.
^ Argentina can't retire Maradona's shirt ESPNsoccernet.com, 26 May 2002. Retrieved 18 August 2006
^ 'El Diez emprende dos nuevos desafíos', ESPN Deportes (July 28, 2005). Retrieved August 17, 2005
^ 'El Diego quits his beloved Boca', FIFA News (August 26, 2006). Retrieved August 26, 2006
^ IIMSAM, Permanent Observer Mission to the United Nations
^ "Maradona 'set to coach Argentina'", BBC Sport (2008-10-28). Retrieved on 28 October 2008.
^ ESPN Deportes - "Llega en son de paz" Last retrieved 19 May 2006
^ ESPN Deportes - "El amor al ídolo" Last retrieved May 19, 2006
^ Clarin.com - "Había una vez... un elenco para la selección" Last retrieved 19 May 2006
^ Clarin.com - "Dalma Maradona: diario de una princesa" Last retrieved 19 May 2006
^ Maradona's fall from grace John May, 19 April, 2004, BBC Sport. Retrieved 18 August 2006.
^ "Maradona back in hospital" - Sky Sports
^ "Malas lenguas" - Diario Olé (Spanish)
^ BBC NEWS | World | Americas | Maradona leaves alcoholism clinic
^ "Maradona says he no longer drinks" - ESPNsoccernet
^ "A big hand". The Observer (2005-11-06). Retrieved on 2006-06-19.
^ "Maradona and Chávez laugh over 'hand of god' goal on chat show". Retrieved on 2007-08-20.
^ "Chávez and Maradona Lead Massive Rebuke of Bush". The Nation (2005-11-05). Retrieved on 2006-06-20.
^ Image of Maradona wearing the STOP BU卐H shirt
^ "Ex-soccer star Maradona tells Chavez he hates U.S.". Retrieved on 20 August 2007.
^ "Maradona Loves Iran". Critical Montages (2007-12-24). Retrieved on 2007-12-25.
^ Shields, Tom. LET'S RAISE A GLASS TO MARADONA TOM SHIELDS SPORT DIARY, Sunday Herald, April 9, 2006.
^ Maradona in intensive care 28 April, 2004. BBC Sport. Retrieved 18 August 2006.
^ Interview with Jorge Valdano Last retrieved May 19, 2006
^ "Maradona scores but England win UNICEF match", Yahoo-FIFA


Argentina coach Diego Maradona still firing from the lip
The language of Diego Maradona has been deemed difficult to decode but there was no such trickery in Scotland, as Maradona projected himself as a man without artifice – and, to the profound dismay of England fans everywhere, utterly without contrition.

Scotland v Argentina
Kick-off: Weds Nov 19, 20.00; Hampden Park, Glasgow
TV: Sky Sports 1
Radio: BBC Radio Scotland

A Maradona press conference is invariably a theatrical event, his emotional range rivalling that of the most inspired actors. So we should mark the time and place accordingly: at 4.32pm, or 2.32pm in Argentina – Maradona wears two watches wherever he travels, one set to the time back home – in the ballroom of Glasgow's Radisson Hotel, 'El Diego' strode in to face the flashbulbs and to deliver a performance of effortless flair. Whether on his mission as national team manager or on the future of Lionel Messi, he was never less than compelling. Plus there was one exquisite moment in which he punctured delusions of English grandeur just as emphatically as he did in 1986.

Let it not be forgotten that Maradona - in Glasgow for Wednesday night's game against Scotland at Hampden Park - revels in references to the 'Hand of God'. He coined the phrase himself in Mexico City when, with England vanquished in a World Cup quarter-final only an hour before, he told assembled journalists at the Azteca Stadium that his outrageous first goal had been scored "con la mano de Dios". So when asked if he felt the faintest touch of remorse, he treated the temerity of the reporter – English, of course – with a curled lip of contempt.

"England won the World Cup with a goal that never crossed the line," he countered. What? The atmosphere in the room crackled. The debate over whether Geoff Hurst's second goal in the 1966 final did or did not creep over the line has become so hackneyed as to have been almost abandoned, but here it again assumed the most extreme urgency. Old enmities between England and Argentina, with Maradona the most enduring emblem, resurfaced at a single utterance. But there was more. "The ball was that far short of a line," he said, with an expansive hand gesture to express great distance. "It's not fair that you should judge me when things like that went on."

The words were said with the brightest twinkle in his eye but the damage was done – English national pride had been affronted as if in deadly seriousness. The Scots loved it, naturally. English opprobrium towards Maradona is matched by Scottish appreciation, and his portrayals in the local newspapers, anticipating Maradona's arrival in Glasgow for his first match in charge of Argentina, have been akin to canonisation.

"God comes to Hampden" said one banner headline; "Give a hand to Maradona" read another. The Scottish congregation of the 'Church of Maradona' even gathered outside the hotel entrance to pay homage. So transcendent a figure has he become that the mutterings from the Scotland camp have seemed meaningless. None more so than those of Terry Butcher, Scotland's assistant manager and, far more pertinently, the most hapless victim of Maradona's second goal at the Azteca, for which the striker danced around the England defence with a devilish weave.

Butcher had churlishly claimed that he would not shake Maradona's hand on the Hampden touchline, the wounds over a palmed goal 22 years ago apparently being still too raw. Maradona cared not one iota: "I'm not going to seek him out, I don't know why Butcher is taking this attitude. If people are fine with me, I will greet them." The tone was supremely dismissive. "I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. If he doesn't shake my hand, I'll still be alive tomorrow." Somehow, his sharp tongue made Butcher look as insignificant as when his slaloming steps left the centre-back for dust.

So by this stage it was Argentina 2, England 0 – even more emphatic than on the pitch. But in Maradona's combative rhetoric there were traces of emollience, notably when he was asked to name the players by whom he had been most influenced. Kevin Keegan was the first name to pass his lips, perhaps the most distinguished recognition that Keegan, in a garlanded career, had ever received. The only anxiety is that Maradona does not go on to be a manager in the Keegan mould, beloved of his people but a loose cannon and a liability the second he is in sight of a technical area.

Already Maradona has been guilty of diplomatic lapses, having used Fifa president Sepp Blatter's notorious remark about the slavery of modern football to argue that Blatter himself was a slave, "there to serve us". But yesterday he was calmer. There would be no histrionics from him at Wednesday's friendly. "My main priority is team. If they are making me feel safe and sound, I'll be fine."

But even his most ardent disciples know better than to believe that. One school of thought holds that his health problems – and 'problems' they are, after alcoholism, hepatitis and cocaine-induced heart attacks – make his management of Argentina inherently too fragile and destined to fail. Then one considers the dearth of coaching experience: his only two spells at club level, with Mandiyu of Corrientes and Racing Club in the mid-Nineties, were both inglorious and ominously brief.

Yet in the madness of the moment, none of this mattered, not to him and assuredly not to his rapt audience. The grand expectations of Argentina might be gathering around him once more but he shrugged: "I don't feel under any pressure whatsoever. If I hadn't accepted this offer I would have been a coward." Maradona has acquired enough epithets in his time but, as his remarkable reinvention attests, coward is not one of them.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/international/scotland/3479821/Argentina-coach-Diego-Maradona-still-firing-from-the-lip-Football.html




(Argentine icons collection)



Politics, sports, tango, and their protagonists are just some of the passions deeply rooted in Argentina’s imaginary. That is why a history plenty of images is more than enough material to be captured in Arty Latino’s flips and included in its Argentine Icons collection.









The goal of the century (El gol del siglo)
MEXICO, JUNE 22ND, 1986. ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE, SIX, SEVEN… THAT afternoon, in the unforgettable match between Argentina and England, Diego Maradona built up – step by step, inch by inch and in only ten seconds– the most extraordinary goal in the history of football. The “Hand of God” goal had been scored just a few minutes before, and within a few days, Argentina would achieve its second World Cup.













The hand of God (La mano de Dios)
DID HE USE HIS HAND? TO ADMIT THE TRUTH OF WHAT IS WAS CONSIDERED for so many years a secret shared by millions and millions of witnesses that watched it on TV, it’s just a minor anecdote. What no one can deny after “that” goal on June 22nd, 1986 vs. England, is Diego Maradona’s outstanding ability to conjure the most extraordinary plays ever seen. Some minutes later the Goal of the Century would be scored, and in a few days Argentina would win it’s second World Cup.
He did use his hand. Who cares?














Evita inmortal
REGISTERED OF THE HUMBLE ONES, QUEEN OF THE “DESCAMISADOS”.
Leader of people who loved her madly, but also one of the most controversial figures in the Argentinean history of the XX century. Eva Perón lived fast and died young, like a movie star,
as a revolutionary gleam. She was only thirty three years old
–in 1952– when the myth, the myth that today the whole world knows as “Evita, the immortal”, was born.














Che Lives (El Che vive)
WHAT’S THE DISTANCE THAT SEPARATES A MAN FROM A MYTH? SOME SAY IT’S History. The time that takes a look to become a universal picture. Ernesto Guevara, known as “Che”, has always walked a step forward in History, always ahead. That’s why his eyes were and still are the eyes of many of his former and present followers: a lively way to see the world. What’s the distance that separates “that” kind of men from a myth? Just one step.














Gardel
THE ‘MOROCHO FROM THE ABASTO’, AN ICON FROM BA. THE LEGEND IS
popularized as time goes by and Carlos Gardel excels his own myth to turn into a pagan image, having the world at his feet. The man with the unmistakable and rapturous voice has a colorful smile which evades sepia and black and white apathy. The ‘Zorzal Criollo’ sings better that ever, that’s for sure. But he is also a heavenly dancer who shaves the floor by stamping his feet and following
his heart.














Sandro of America (Sandro de América)
THE SO-CALLED ‘GITANO’ UNLEASHES PASSION AND HYSTERIA AS HE SHAKES ON STAGE. Like a few in Argentina, Sandro knows the formula to make the masses quiver with excitement: his gorgeous voice and sensual waist, his handsome profile and songs performed on screen. A wild combination of fatal, irresistible insolence and voluptuous movements. When Gitano swings a whole continent trembles... that’s why he is called not only Sandro but also ‘Sandro de América’.














Villa Fiorito
WHAT WAS DIEGO MARADONA DREAMING ABOUT BEFORE TURNING INTO MARADONA? Those days at Villa Fiorito, the neighbourhood that saw him grow up, witnessed the black and white passion of a boy beginning to wear the myth clothes. Glory. Fame and worldcups were to come later, naturally. First, one dream had to be dreamt: to be Diego Maradona.














20th Anniversary Edition Box (The Goal of the Century + Hand of God + Villa Fiorito)
MÉXICO, JUNE 22ND 1986. Both of Maradona´s goals against the English cannot be understood separately. They complement each other and make up a whole, which constitutes a real epic of the Argentine. None of them are enough on their own. That afternoon, twenty years ago, the cheating goal, the irregular goal The Hand of God, was completed with the extraordinary goal, the best of any goal ever scored: The Goal of the Century.
Martín Kohan


http://www.artylatino.com.ar/content/eng_flip_iconos.php

Argentines preach tough love to Maradona

Damian Wroclavsky | May 14, 2004 16:31 IST



Perhaps nowhere else in the world has soccer hero-turned cocaine addict Diego Maradona attracted as much veneration as in the ramshackle neighbourhood where he was born into poverty 43 years ago.

But even a few metres from his former family home, now occupied by rubbish scavengers, worship is tainted with disappointment over the antics of the overweight idol who has become a ghost of the man who almost single-handedly won the World Cup 18 years ago.

Rediff Special: El pibe de oro
"I hope he's getting better, that he managed to get out of all this shit he's taking," said childhood friend Jose, 42, who lives near Maradona's former house in Villa Fiorito, a shanty of wooden houses and sewage-strewn streets on the outskirts of Buenos Aires.

Also Read




Maradona faces "last chance"

Maradona says fans saved his life

Argentines remain faithful to Maradona





"He has been corrupted," added Jose, harking back to his kick-abouts with Maradona on pitches improvised on scrubland during their youth.

Maradona, who has spent most of the last four years in Cuba in a drug rehabilitation programme, was rushed to hospital while visiting Argentina last month with a swollen heart and lung problems.

It kicked off nearly a month of hospital treatment that ended with him being forced by his family against his wishes to stay in a clinic for drug addiction.

Even now, Argentines always remember Maradona for his football -- for the glory days in 1986 when Argentina won the World Cup. That pride and respect will never be lost.

But an initial outpouring of pity for Argentina's most famous citizen has gradually given way to disapproval of his behaviour over the last month, from discharging himself from hospital intensive care to playing golf on a cold autumn evening a few hours later.

It ended with him returning to hospital in an ambulance. Many Argentines had one reaction: "Serves you right."

EATING PIZZA

Local media offer a daily stream of stories -- Maradona guzzling down pizza and wine after leaving hospital, throwing fits of anger at doctors or having to be sedated to stop him returning to Cuba.

True or not, the reports help to form Argentines' opinions.

"It's madness that he goes to hospital and then he's in a country house full of people having a barbecue," said Jose.

Maradona now packs 100 kilos into his 1.66-metre frame. His family unceremoniously transferred him against his wishes to a private clinic at the weekend in what his doctor said was his last chance to cure himself of drug addiction.

Maradona, speaking slowly and sometimes incoherently to local television in an interview after his first hospital visit, said: "I was dying."

"I hope what he is doing sinks in, he starts paying attention to his doctors and stops to think that he has two daughters," said shop security guard Emilio Aguero, 53. "It is very irresponsible of him. This is of his own doing. He is a disappointment for the country."

Villa Fiorito is no better off than when Maradona was born here. The roads are filthy. A stream of polluted, foamy water divides the neighbourhood.

DRUG ADDICTION

The home-town boy is still respected here despite his jet-set lifestyle and the fact that he now plays the elite sport of golf rather than soccer with its working-class roots.

But 25 years after Maradona left the neighbourhood, Alberto Chavez, dressed in the ragged remains of an old tracksuit, is preaching tough love.

"I was a great friend of his. We've grown up together. I hope the best for him...but he must stop this stupidity," he said.

A poll showed that about half of Argentines believed that Maradona should no longer be treated as an idol but as a simple man with a disease -- drug addiction.

"I don't know how he got hooked. No (hospital) wants to take responsibility for him. He has brought shame on Argentina," said Nina Rojas, a flower vendor who works a few blocks away from the posh hospital that treated Maradona.

"He is known around the world, he's a good footballer and this brings responsibilities," she added.

In Villa Fiorito, Jose wondered; "What would have become of Maradona if he had not been touched with his magic skills?"

He provided his own answer, saying sadly: "Look. Around here everyone is a petty thief."

http://in.rediff.com/sports/2004/may/14mara.htm

SUMMARY

Due to the fact that he was born in Villa Fiorito, Diego Armando Maradona could have been player of Independiente. Better say, he should have been. But it wasn’t that way. And it’s fine. Because Argentinos Juniors is more related to his own history, to the idea of fighting from the very bottom, of enhancing the humble, and that was proved throughout the years.

As he would do in other teams, in Argentinos he also started trying to save the team and ended up seeking the title. And the old field of Boyacá and García turned out to be the center of attention of the whole football world: as if going on a procession to worship a God, the supporters of every club headed the field to go see play number ten. Forever. Since his debut, the 20th October, 1976, till the first days of 1981, when he left.

Like the supporters of every team, the ones of Argentinos assured that they had the best Maradona. The purest, the intact diamond, not polluted. It’s possible. In any case people talk about the best Maradona and the discussion increases each day.

In Argentinos, there are reference points set by Maradona, including a tunnel, when he wasn’t even 16. His first two goals, immediately, a couple of days after his presentation. The anger shown in his three goals after the frustration of Argentina ’78. Scorer, scorer, scorer, scorer, scorer, five times scorer. In nine championships played using that same t-shirt. Many tours with him, as the main attraction. And a second place, of course, the only time he would celebrate after coming second.

And the reference, inescapable, forever. Argentinos Juniors was, is and will always be the club were Diego Armando Maradona began.

THE SELECTION

If all the people who say they were present in Diego Armando Maradona’s debut in First Division, had really been in Boyacá and García Stadium, stadiums like Maracaná, Santiago Bernabeu and Giusseppe Meazza together wouldn’t have been large enough to welcome them all. Nevertheless, they were many the lucky ones who could be there that Wednesday 20th October, 1976 at Argentinos Juniors’ Stadium to see the local team play against what was considered as the sensation of the National Championship, Talleres de Córdoba. The event collected 1.273.100 pesos of those times. Just as a reference of how much that was, it is worth mentioning that a match between central Norte, from Salta, and Newell’s Old Boys, collected that same day 2.140.000.

Most of those who went to La Paternal were looking forward to enjoying great football of the Cordobeses. The found a 15 year old boy (10 days were left for his 16th birthday) showing Nº 16 on his back, who replaced Nº 10 Giacobetti in the second half. In the first ball he played, he made a tunnel to the first rival who came through, Juan Domingo Patricio Cabrera. And that’s what the coach, Juan Carlos Montes had asked Diego to do: "Go, Diego, play like you know". And what he did, Maradona knew how to do it.

Héctor Vega Onesime, the director of the well known sports magazine, El Gráfico, made a report of the match. He wrote in the summary of what he believed had been an intense match: " Hadn’t it been for the conditions and dimensions of the field, the show could have been better. Both teams were more willing to create than to destroy. Even when Talleres, during the second half squeezed against the posts to keep the result 1-0, Argentinos was condemned by its weak attack capacity. Not even the fact that the surprising, skillful and smart ex-"cebollita" Maradona played (who was not yet 16) was enough to solve the problem. The Cordobeses had no other choice than to win. And they won. We hope that, in a future, their football will emerge. Field: very bad. Judge: Maino (good)". The conclusion was Maradona’s qualification, who only played for 45 minutes: 7 points.

He had played really well. He left fear behind immediately, after he touched the ball for the first time, including a tunnel. But the feelings of that debut, were never erased from his soul. He would confess sometime: "It was the first time I felt I was touching the sky with my hands."

The coach had told him he was going to be reserve during the last weekly training, at Comunicaciones Club, Tuesday 19th. He went mad of happiness and run to let don Diego, doña Tota, her sisters, brothers, and friends, know the big news. All Villa Fiorito knew. In those days, Argentinos had already rented his first house, on 2746 street in Villa del Parque, but they were still moving. So the people who he loved and who truly loved him were there, in Fiorito. It was a strange festival of happiness and crying. It was the best prize for such an effort. No talking of money, yet. He could barely get hold of his only special pair of trousers, deep blue corduroy trousers, useful for winter or summer and get ready to play. And he never stopped playing. The story was only beginning.

ARGENTINOS / NATIONAL TEAM

After his debut in First Division, Diego Armando Maradona never left the main team. What’s more, it was usual to see him playing, not as reserve, wearing the t-shirt with Nº 10 on his back. But he didn’t only train in Argentinos, he also had a place in the Junior National Team. It was during one of those trainings, in the beginning of 1977, that César Luis Menotti talked to him, after a training match between the Junior an Senior Teams.

Diego confessed, much later, that his legs trembled. That listening to "El Flaco" as they called Menotti, was like listening to God. The truth is that what the coach told him sounded like a miracle to him. He was calling him to train with the Senior Team in order to play a friendly match against Hungary. So many things were happening to him in less that four months. Perhaps, they were too many. The truth is that when he wore the light blue and white t-shirt with which he always dreamt to play, he had only played twelve matches in First Division!

Argentinos was his launching stage to establish himself internationally. From the very bottom, Diego became strong. Really strong. In the first tournament after his debut (the Metropolitan Championship in 1977), he played 37 matches in a row, being a regular player. And he strengthened.

Some names of that team sets our memory free. Munutti was the goalkeeper. The defenders, Minutti, Carrizo, Agresta del Cerro, Gette, Núñez, Fusani. Cicogna, Roma, Milani, Romano, Rojas. The mid-field players, Jorge López, Fren, Fusani, Giacobetti, Giordano, Méndez, Di Donato, González. The forwards Carlos Alvarez, Hallar, Ovelar, Ruiz, Bravi, and of course, Maradona.

He made Carlos "Bartolo" Alvarez become a scorer with 20 goals, and he also celebrated 13 times. Against Platense, against Lanús, against Atlanta (2), against All Boys (2), against Huracán (2), against Quilmes, against Chacarita, against Estudiantes and against… Boca (2). It wasn’t bad to start with. Not at all.
http://www.diegomaradona.com/ingles/historia/argjrs/iarg_set.html

DIEGO, OUR IDOL !

I vote for the Hand of God. For his great magic in the joy of a goal. Of a fantastic play. Of that unforgettable evening, with the unstoppable left foot in the English field. That indescribable happiness born in the poor fields of Villa Fiorito. The greatest expression of football. Of the ball attached to his foot. Of those nights of hunger, embracing a ruined ball. His only friend.
I vote for that small devil, alchemist of football in the nights of the old stadium at Juan Agustín García and Boyacá in the poor quarter of La Paternal. Home of illusions for Diego Armando Maradona, the poet of the left foot. The meeting place for the people after the nights of tango in Buenos Aires, and for the poor people of Fiorito. Of a brilliancy conquered in the fields of loam, among the fences of "mate cocido", pure innocence. It is the majesty of his prodigious left foot, which draws in every metre of the opponent field, which plays and caresses the ball with the art of this small giant, which inebriates the senses, like the hardest liquor of the night of Buenos Aires in the heart of La Boca. Juggler of endless nights of glory, Maradona, indefatigable warrior.

His left foot invokes the gods, twists in the air looking for the goal, the highest expression of joy, the prize for the hard work. His fist in the air challenges the wind drawing the face of Chitoro and La Tota (his parents) in the top of the pride.

The eyes become red and a tear comes out, when he makes a magic in the eternal stadium of La Paternal. That little boy with black curly hair, who charms, entertains and caresses the ball with a skill without equal. Never seen before. It's football. The one that you live in the stadium of Boca, or in the pigsties of Parque Patricios. Strength, sweat and tears. Which come out for the spectacle of the ball running with class between the feet of this artist who caresses it with love and with the grace of a dancer. A long love story.

I thank my life, as Violeta Parra used to sing, for seeing football, the real football. The show that generates so much passion and makes you tremble like the most fanatic supporter, the show of an unbelievable backheel, of a goal with a bicycle kick with 80,000 people in the stadium. This is the football I love, the football of Diego Armando Maradona, the sportsman of the century. Awarded for his innumerable exploits of sports, for his goal against England, for the third goal against the Soviet Union in the youth world cup of 1979, for that prize that he gained in 1986, in the world cup where he was crowned with all his magic. For his eternal wedding with the ball, the poor one of the loams of Fiorito, cradle of his youth. And the one of the glory in Europe. And of all the places where he showed his magic skill. The "fat", as he called the ball in his childhood dreams, has always been his companion. Friend, confidante, girlfriend and sister, tireless symbol of his fight for the south of Italy. The king of Naples.

On October 30, 1960, in a cold room of the hospital of Lanús, Dalma Maradona Franco, better known as Tota, gave birth to the fantastic 10. On October 20, 1976 the world of football gave birth to him in the Argentine championship, wearing the colours of Argentinos Juniors, his first team. From that day the history of football will suddenly change. Pelé's throne of king will tremble. The ambassador was born. And it is Maradona, the little god of the small Villa Fiorito. The soul of football. I vote for him!

RODRIGO BENAVIDES -- www.reporte.cl


Biography: Diego Maradona
by Raven Garcia
When discussing candidates for the greatest footballer to have ever lived; Three names are always mentioned: Pel, Johann Cruyff, and of course, Diego Maradona.

I am privileged to write an article on one of my personal heroes. As a football fan myself, Diego Maradona has been such an inspiration to me.

Born Diego Armando Maradona in Villa Fiorito, Argentina, October 1960, he lived out much of his early years playing football on the streets of his poor neighbourhood Villa Fiorito, a Rancho (Shanty town) on the outskirts of Buenos Aires. Aged 10, he was spotted by a scout and quickly snapped up to play for Argentinos Juniors youth side, where he made a big impression with the fans, often using his half-time break to entertain them with his ball skills.

Maradona turned professional in 1976, signing his first professional contract with Buenos Aires-based side Argentinos Juniors. He was fifteen. He played for Argentinos Juniors for five years, before signing for his boyhood club Boca Juniors whom he had always supported. Boca was, and still is, very much a working-class club in Buenos Aires, with middle-class citizens generally favouring rivals River Plate. Of course, rivalry has been fierce over the years and led to violence between rival fans on many occasions. In 1982, Diego Maradona picked up his first league winners' medal with Boca, and became a firm favourite with the fans.

However, Maradona knew he was destined for bigger and better things, and as word spread to Europe of this talented youngster, Big European clubs quickly became interested. And shortly after the 1982 World Cup in Spain, in which Argentina, the defending champions, were eliminated by Italy's azurri who went on to win the trophy, Maradona remained in Spain and signed for Barcelona, setting a new world record transfer fee of 5 Million.

Maradona's career had not gone without it's fair share of setbacks and controversy. However, his indomitable will-power managed to overcome many obstacles in his way, including a bout of hepatitis, and a severe injury sustained in a match against Athletico Bilbao in 1983 which almost threatened his career. However, Maradona came back even stronger, until he came up against an obstacle which was to become his nemesis: Cocaine.


Relations between him and his superiors at Barca turned sour, and Maradona eventually demanded a transfer. He moved to Italy where he became an instant success with Napoli, where he brought along with him an unprecedented

http://www.helium.com/items/341433-biography-diego-maradona




Hand of God goal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Maradona left, Shilton right
The Hand of God goal (Spanish: La Mano de Dios) was scored as the result of an illegal (but unpenalised) handball by Diego Maradona in the quarter-final match of the 1986 FIFA World Cup between England and Argentina, played on 22 June 1986 in Mexico City's Estadio Azteca. Argentina won 2–1.

Contents
[hide]
1 Context
2 Goal
3 Rest of the match
4 Initial denial and reaction
5 Subsequent admission
6 In popular culture
7 See also
8 References
9 External links



[edit] Context
Main article: Argentina and England football rivalry
The long-term rivalry between the two footballing nations can be traced back to the controversial sending off of Argentine captain Antonio Ubaldo Rattin in the England-Argentina match of the 1966 World Cup; Argentina were knocked out of the tournament, while England went on to win the championship. In 1986, when England and Argentina met in the quarter-finals, tensions were running particularly high between the countries, due partly to the Falklands War, which had taken place just four years earlier. This Argentine win, like that of the English 20 years earlier, was en route to winning a World Cup championship.


[edit] Goal


Diagram of the movement that led to the goal.
Six minutes into the second half, the score was 0–0. Maradona cut inside from the right flank and played a diagonal low pass to the edge of the area to teammate Jorge Valdano and continued his run in the hope of a one-two movement. Maradona's pass, however, was played slightly behind Valdano and reached England's Steve Hodge, the left-midfielder who had dropped back to defend.

Hodge (who swapped shirts with Maradona after the game) tried to hook the ball clear but miscued it. The ball screwed off his foot and into the penalty area, toward Maradona, who had continued his run. England goalkeeper Peter Shilton duly came out of his goal to punch the ball clear, with his considerable height (6'1" or 185cm) making him clear favourite to beat Maradona (5'5" or 165cm) to it. However, Maradona reached it first—with the outside of his left fist. The ball went into the goal, and the referee (Tunisian Ali Bin Nasser), not having seen the infringement, allowed the goal.

Many people did not initially realize it was a handball. Some television commentators thought the objections of the English defenders were claims for offside, and it was only clear from other camera angles—not the original one—that there had been an offence.

The Argentine players and fans celebrated (video shows Maradona looking toward the referee; he later said "I was waiting for my teammates to embrace me, and no one came . . . I told them, 'Come hug me, or the referee isn't going to allow it.'" [1]) while the English players protested to no avail.

Incidents of players seeking to gain an advantage by skirting the laws of the game, in the hope that the referee does not see, are common. This incident has derived its notoriety largely from the importance and closeness of the match, the animosity between the nations, and the responses of Maradona and the English media.


[edit] Rest of the match
Five minutes later, Maradona scored another goal, voted in 2002 as the Goal of the Century, in which he eluded five English outfield players (Hoddle, Reid, Sansom, Butcher (twice) and Fenwick), as well as Shilton. England scored through Gary Lineker in the 81st minute, but Argentina won the match 2–1.


[edit] Initial denial and reaction
At the post-game press conference, Maradona exacerbated the controversy further by claiming the goal was scored "un poco con la cabeza de Maradona y otro poco con la mano de Dios" (a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God), coining one of the most famous quotes in sport. Video and photographic evidence demonstrated that he had struck the ball with his hand, which was shown on television networks and in newspapers all over the world.

Very little criticism or complaint was made against referee Ali Bin Nasser or the Bulgarian linesman, Bogdan Dochev[citation needed].

For the next few days, the English press referred to the incident as "The Hand of the Devil." Maradona remained unpopular with the English press for many years. When he was later banned from football for cocaine use, the tabloid newspaper The Sun stated in a headline "Dirty Diego Gone For Good!"[citation needed]

In response to this incident and the reaction, Bobby Robson launched the "Fair Play Programme" in 1993.[2]


[edit] Subsequent admission
In his autobiography, Maradona admitted that the ball came off his hand:

Now I feel I am able to say what I couldn't then. At the time I called it "the hand of God." What hand of God? It was the hand of Diego! And it felt a little bit like pickpocketing the English. (Yo soy el Diego, by Diego Armando Maradona. 2000, Editorial Planeta, p132 ISBN 84-08-03674-2).
In 2005, on his television talk show, Maradona attempted to justify the goal as a response to the UK's victory in the Falklands War, quoting the popular Spanish saying: "Whoever robs a thief gets a 100-year pardon." [3] During a televised interview with Maradona in 2006, Lineker said, in reference to the goal, "Personally, I blame the referee and the linesman, not you." [4]

In a January 2008 interview for The Sun, Maradona spoke of the politeness of the English, saying "If I could apologise and go back and change history I would,"[5] but a few days later, in Argentina, he denied that this amounted to an apology for the goal.[6]


[edit] In popular culture
Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (May 2008)

Following a 1997 chess match against the computer Deep Blue, which he felt had been tainted by human interference, world chess champion Garry Kasparov compared the match to the 1986 England–Argentina game, stating in a press conference that "Maradona called it the hand of God".[7]
England's victory against Argentina in the 2002 World Cup was celebrated with T-shirts displaying the result and the phrase "Look, no hands!"[citation needed]
There is a song by The Business that deals with the "Hand of God" goal, entitled "Handball" on their Welcome to the Real World album. The Business also has a song called "Maradona", in which they insult the player.[citation needed]
In 2006, a sports bar in Ayr, Scotland was designed as a tribute to Maradona. Scotland and England are well known for their long-standing football rivalry. The Hand of God Sports Bar is staffed by employees wearing Argentina football strips and features wall-length murals of the goal.[8]
Some months after the match, Argus Press Software released a Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum game called Peter Shilton's Handball Maradona!, a goalkeeper simulator taking its name from the infamous event.[9]
In the Hands of the Gods is a film reference to the incident.[citation needed]
In the film Mike Bassett: England Manager the pivotal match set as the film's climax sees England facing elimination from the World Cup at the hands of Argentina. As the game comes to a close at 0-0, an England player manages to score with a handball even more obvious than Maradona's. When one of the commentators states he used his hand, his colleague replies 'Against Argentina? Never'.[citation needed]
The band Fall Out Boy have a demo song titled, "The Hand Of God (World Cup 1986)"[citation needed]
The Tartan Army sing a version of the Hokey Cokey in honour of the goal.[8]
Rob Smith has a song called "Interlude : La Mano De Dios" on his debut album Throwing It All Away.

Palash Biswas




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