Biography of Diego Maradona

Biography of Diego Maradona

Diego Armando Maradona, popularly known as Diego Maradona, was an expert Argentine footballer and manager. Having won many prestigious awards, he is considered one of the greatest football players in history. The life journey of Diego Maradona is inspiring in many ways. With its fair share of ups and downs, there are quite a few lessons that we can learn from his life trajectory.

Tracing Maradona’s humble beginnings

Maradona was born into a poor family in 1960. His father, a bricklayer, tried hard to make both ends meet. Maradona was barely three years old when he developed an inclination toward football. However, due to the financial crunch, he owned just one pair of shoes. His mother disapproved of his love for football as she wanted him to focus on his studies.

Venturing into football

Maradona caught the football talent scout’s attention when he was barely eight years old. However, his claim to fame was his debut match for the Argentinos Juniors, which he played at fifteen years of age.

·       Teams that Maradona played for: Argentinos Juniors (1976-1980), Boca Juniors (1981), FC Barcelona (1982-1984), Napoli (1984-1992), Sevilla FC (1992-1993), Newell’s Old Boys (1993-1994), Boca Juniors (1995-1997).

·       Achievements as a footballer: Maradona was the youngest player from Argentina to make his football debut. He scored 259 goals during his football career. After his impeccable performance against England, he bagged the title of the ‘Hand of God’. Maradona’s achievements include winning the FIFA Golden Ball, earning 91 caps, and more.

·       Teams that Maradona managed: Maradona was the mentor of the Argentina team, Dynamo Brent team, and Dorados. Furthermore, he was the head coach of Argentina, chairperson of Dynamo Brest, and coach of Gimnasia de La Plata.

The Human Aspect of Diego

Hailed as the best footballer of his generation by managers, players, and authorities, Diego Maradona was as human as anybody else. His consumption of and addiction to drugs resulted in a ban from the 1994 Football World Cup. Even though respectful in his disposition, Diego was infamous for his temper issues. His personal-life problems, unhealthy drinking habits, substance abuse, extravagant spending habits, and significant weight gain often made it to the tabloids. However, Maradona was a people person. When he lost his life to cardiac arrest in 2020, thousands of people gathered for his funeral. Argentina mourned his death for three days at a stretch. Ultimately, he was buried next to his parents’ graves in Buenos Aires.  

The Biggest Takeaway from Maradona’s Biography

Despite being a naturally gifted football player, Maradona did not refrain from working on his skills. His former supervisors, Menotti and Bianchi, praised him for his devotion, decisiveness, and work ethic towards the game. The hard work that Diego put in to better his game is truly commendable. Therefore, one must learn the virtue of diligence from Maradona. His biography teaches us the negative impact of drugs on an individual. It shows us how drugs can influence and eventually destroy even the best. Most importantly, Maradona’s life trajectory teaches us that nobody is perfect. Even though hailed as a legend, Maradona had some human follies.