Diego Armando Maradona (nicknamed "El Diez", "Pelusa", "El Diego" and "Dios") (born October 30, 1960) is a former Argentine football (soccer) player. He is regarded as one of the greatest - and most controversial - players in the history of the game.

Biography

Early years
Maradona was born in Villa Fiorito, a shantytown in the southern outskirts of Buenos Aires, to a poor family who had moved from Corrientes Province; he was the first son after three girls. He has two younger brothers, Hugo (el turco) and Eduardo (Lalo), both of whom were professional footballers.

Spotted at age 10 by a talent scout while playing in his neighborhood club Estrella Roja, he became a staple of the cebollitas, the junior team of Buenos Aires side Argentinos Juniors. As a ball-boy in first division games, he amused spectators by showing his wizardry with the ball during the halftime intermissions.

Career as a player
At age 15 Maradona made his debut with Argentinos Juniors, where he played between 1976 and 1981 before his transfer to the club that he supported, Boca Juniors, where he played during the remainder of the 1981 season and 1982, and secured his first league title. He debuted with the Argentina national football team (la selección) at age 16, against Hungary. At 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 USSR.

In 1982, Maradona played his first World Cup tournament. In the first round, Argentina convincingly beat Hungary and El Salvador, but were defeated in the second round by Brazil and Italy, the side which eventually won the cup. Later in the year Maradona was transferred to FC Barcelona. Under coach César Luis Menotti, Barcelona and Maradona won the Copa del Rey, Spain's annual national cup competition, in 1983, beating Real Madrid. However, an ill-timed tackle by Athletic Bilbao's Andoni Goikoetxea sent Maradona off the pitch for almost a year.

In 1984, Maradona was transferred to SSC Napoli, where he became an adored star, lifting the team to its most successful era. Napoli won their only Italian Championships (1986/87 and 1989/1990), a Coppa Italia (1987), a UEFA Cup (1989) and an Italian Supercup (1990). Napoli were also runners-up in the Italian Championship twice.

In the early 1980s his childhood friend and first personal agent, Jorge Cyterszpiller, marketed Maradona-centered merchandising, but the products failed because counterfeiters would imitate every new item as soon as it was announced. Subsequent attempts to merchandise Maradona have also been unsuccessful.

Maradona led the Argentine national team to victory in the World Cup in 1986, the team winning 3-2 in the final against West Germany. However, it was the two goals he scored in the Quarter-Final game against England which cemented his legend. Action replay footage showed that the first goal was scored with the aid of his hand. He later claimed it was the "Hand of God" and described it as "A little of the hand of God, and a little of the head of Maradona," implying that God was ultimately responsible for the goal, because the referee had fortuitously missed the handball offense. However, on 22 August 2005 Maradona acknowledged on his new television talk show that he hit the ball with his hand purposely and that he immediately knew the goal was illegitimate. He recalled thinking right after the goal that "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.'"

In contrast, however, Maradona's second goal was an uncontroversial and impressive display of footballing skill. He ran half the length of the pitch, passing five English players - Glenn Hoddle, Peter Reid, Kenny Sansom, Terry Butcher and Terry Fenwick - as well as goalkeeper Peter Shilton. This goal has subsequently become known as the "Feet of God" goal, and was voted Goal of the Century in a 2002 online poll conducted by FIFA. Argentina went on to defeat England 2-1 in that game.

Throughout the 1986 World Cup, Maradona asserted his dominance and was widely regarded as the best player of the tournament.

Maradona also captained Argentina in the 1990 World Cup, leading his team to the final, where they lost 1-0 to West Germany. He arrived at the 1994 World Cup and played two games (scoring one goal) before being sent home after failing a drug test for ephedrine doping. On this matter, he has stated that he had an agreement, which FIFA broke, to allow him to use the drug for weight loss before the competition in order to be able to play, so that the World Cup would not lose prestige because of his absence. This allegation was never proved, and many attribute this comment to Diego's anger at being suspended.

Maradona celebrating the victory of Argentina over West Germany in the Mexico 1986 World CupIn Naples, where he is still beloved (having brought the local team their first scudetto), he also faced a scandal regarding an illegitimate son and was the object of some suspicion over his friendship with the Camorra, the local mafia.

Maradona left Napoli in 1992, after serving a 15-month ban for failing the drug test for cocaine, and played for Sevilla FC (1992-93), Newell's Old Boys (1993) and Boca Juniors (1995-97). He also attempted to work as a coach on two short stints, leading Mandiyú of Corrientes (1994) and Racing Club (1995) without much success. He retired from football on October 30, 1997. Another alleged doping incident from that last game is still unresolved by the Argentine Football Association.

His second agent, Guillermo Coppola, became involved in some of the drug scandals. Maradona and Coppola, who were fast friends, have since broken their relationship acrimoniously.

On January 26, 1997, Maradona discussed on live Ecuadorian TV with Ecuadorian president Abdalá Bucaram about playing in Bucaram's Barcelona SC team, but nothing ever came out of this, as Bucaram was ousted by a coup d'état.

Retirement and honors
In 2000, Maradona published his autobiography Yo Soy El Diego ("I am El Diego"), which became an instant bestseller in his home country.

In the same year, Maradona was voted Player of the Century in an official FIFA poll conducted on the Internet, garnering 53.6% of the votes. Then, in an unannounced move, FIFA appointed a "family of soccer" committee, which voted to elect Pelé alongside the Argentine. Maradona cried foul, and left the awards ceremony as soon as his prize was awarded. (For more on FIFA's handling of the issue, see this Sports Illustrated article.)

In 2001, the Argentine Football Association asked FIFA for authorization to retire jersey number 10 as an homage to Maradona. Even though Argentine officials have claimed that FIFA hinted that it would grant the request, the authorization was denied.

Maradona has won other 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.

On 22 June 2005, it was announced that Maradona would return to Boca Juniors as a Vice President in charge of managing the First-Division roster. His contract begins 1 August 2005 and the club hopes he can help revive it from its disastrous 2004-05 season, which coincided with Boca's centenary.

On 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 #10). His main guest was Pelé; the two showed no signs of their past differences. Maradona has since announced that Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Zinédine Zidane and Enzo Francescoli had confirmed that they would appear on the show. He has also expressed a desire to have political figures appear, specifically naming Argentina President Néstor Kirchner and Cuban leader Fidel Castro.

Football style
Short and stocky, Maradona had a very strong physique and could withstand physical pressure better than most players. His strong legs and low centre of gravity gave him additional advantage in short sprints opposite defenders. This is illustrated by his two goals against Belgium in the 1986 World Cup.

He was also a wizard with the ball and could manage himself in limited spaces, attracting defenders only to quickly dash out of the melee, or find a free teammate who would take the ball and score. Examples include the pass to Caniggia against Brazil in the 1990 World Cup, and the pass to Burruchaga that secured the 1986 trophy.

Maradona could convert fragile possessions into goals. His goal against Italy in the 1986 World Cup demonstrated this. Defenders in Maradona's time were more athletic than those Pelé had to fight; Maradona had to do things faster, as he almost never enjoyed the additional second needed to secure and calm down the ball.

One of his trademark moves was dribbling full-speed as a left wing, and on reaching the opponent's goal line, delivering accurate passes to his teammates that many times proved lethal.

Maradona's kicking had a mixture of precision and power that enabled him to score many free kicks. Because he seldom used his right foot for any decisive action, defenders were confounded whenever he did.

Reputation
Ever since 1986, it is common for Argentines abroad to hear Maradona's name as a token of recognition, even in remote places.

In Argentina, Maradona is often talked about in terms reserved for legends. In the Argentine film "Son of the Bride" (El Hijo de la Novia), an actor who impersonates a 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 (by elaborating on the passion of Jesus), the fake priest retorts: "But I was talking about Maradona".

There is a Church of Maradona, where "believers" re-enact the Hand of God goal, and partake in food and wine that bear his likeness. The "rituals" of this "church" have been filmed by several sports programmes and broadcast in many countries. The church does not take itself too seriously, even though its members have been involved in several community initiatives.

Commentators in Argentina have often compared Maradona to Dr Esteban Laureano Maradona (1895 - 1995), a physician who helped indigenous communities achieve better health standards, and was the recipient of the 1987 UN Medicine for Peace prize. Dr Maradona was renowned for his modesty, and worked until he turned ninety, so the comparison was often unfavorable to the footballer. Broadcaster Alejandro Dolina was the first to denounce the unfairness of this treatment.

Hounded for years by yellow journalism, Maradona even fired a compressed-air rifle against reporters who, so he claimed, invaded 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.