Hero of the football world ‘The Golden Kid’ Diego Maradona
“When you win, you don’t get carried away. But if you go step by step with confidence you can go far”-Diego Maradona
Legendary football player Diego Maradona dies at the age of 60 who is regarded as the top footballer of the 1980s and one of the greatest player of all time. He died of heart attack at his home in the outskirts of Buenos Aires. Lets go through the life story of ‘The Golden Kid’ Diego Maradona
Diego Armando Maradona was born on 30 October 1960 to a poor family. Maradona received his first soccer ball as a gift at age 3 and quickly became devoted to the game. At age eight, Maradona was spotted by a talent scout while he was playing in his neighbourhood club Estrella Roja. He became a leading player of Los Cebollitas, 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.
On 20 October 1976, Maradona made his professional debut for Argentinos Juniors, 10 days before his 16th birthday. Maradona scored his first goal in the Primera División against Marplatense team San Lorenzo on 14 November 1976.
After the 1982 World Cup, in June, Maradona was transferred to BARCELONA in Spain. On 26 June 1983, Barcelona defeated Real Madrid on the road in one of the world’s biggest club games, El Clásico, a match where Maradona scored and became the first Barcelona player to be applauded by archrival Real Madrid fans.
1986 World Cup was on the name of Maradona as he captained Argentina to victory against West Germany in the final, beating them 3-2 in the Atzeca Stadium, in Mexico City. But this match turned into a legendary one as during the match Maradona’s fist, which was raised close to his head, touched the ball first and hit the ball into England’s goal. Diego Maradona later described it as “a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God”. It later known as the “Hand of God”.
The 1994 World Cup in the USA was a fall from grace for Maradona after he tested positive in a drugs test during the tournament. He was later expelled from the World Cup by FIFA. As he approached 60, Maradona’s health issues flared up again as he underwent emergency surgery for a subdural haematoma in 2020.
Diego Maradona was well known for his ability to control the ball and create scoring opportunities for himself and others. He was known to be a free-kick specialist. A precious talent, Maradona was given the nickname “El Pibe de Oro” which means “The Golden Kid”, a name that stuck with him throughout his career.
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