Maradona like so many Argentinean boys played on the streets of Buenos Aires in the hope that one day he would escape the abject poverty he was born into through football. He achieved this at a young age when he was spotted and joined the Argentinos juniors at the age of 12. From there he went on to play for Boca juniors for a fee of £1,000,000 helping them win the league and so cementing his superiority in the game.
In 1982 Maradona was bought for £5,000,000 by Barcelona who he helped win the Spanish Cup despite illness. 1984 saw another move this time to Napoli who paid £6,900,000 which they certainly felt was reasonable as they won the Serie A league twice, the Copa Italia plus the UEFA and Italian Super Cup but like all things they come to an end and Maradona's club career was no exception as his popularity waned.
Success in his international career was phenomenal so Maradona is better known and held in greatest regard with his fans for his play with Argentina. The 1980's were especially successful and Argentina was the side to beat in competitions world wide. Maradona was 18 years old when he first played for his beloved country while by the time he reached 22 he was chosen for all the world cup matches even though he was often sent off for misdemeanours on the pitch. The 1986 World Cup saw Maradona captain his team for every game and Argentina won the world cup that year defeating West Germany in the final.
The 1990 world cup campaign was not as successful for Maradona and Argentina as he had an ankle injury which plagued him throughout the tournament, consequently seeing them lose the Cup to their previous final opponents West Germany. World Cup 1994 was the beginning of the end for Maradona as during the tournament he failed a drugs test and one of the greatest player s of all time was heading toward retirement.
Maradona's next move was to coach his former team Boca juniors but his time there was short lived due to disagreements and arguments with staff. His awards and achievements are many:
- 1979 Golden Ball for Best Player of the FIFA Under-20 World Cup
- 1979 Argentine Football Writers' Footballer of the Year
- 1979 South American Footballer of the Year
- 1979 FIFA World Youth Championship
- 1981 Argentine Football Writers' Footballer of the Year
- 1981 Argentine League Top Scorer
- 1986 Argentine Football Writers' Footballer of the Year
- 1986 South American Footballer of the Year
- 1986 Argentine Sports Writers' Sportsman of the Year
- 1986 Golden Ball
- 1986 World Player of the Year
- 1986 FIFA World Cup
- 1987 Best Football in the World
- 1987 Serie A Top Scorer
- 1989 South American Footballer of the Year
- 1990 South American Footballer of the Year
- 1992 South American Footballer of the Year
- 1993 Artemio Franchi Trophy
- 1996 Golden Ball, services to football
- 1999 Argentine Sports Writers' Sportsman of the Century
- 2000 People's Choice Best Footballer of the Century
- 2002 FIFA Goal of the Century
- 2005 Argentine Senate Lifetime Achievement
The passing of the career of such a prolific player was sad but more so as Maradona was fighting his cocaine addiction for many years being admitted to clinics time and again to try to overcome his problem. At the age of 44 he suffered a massive heart attack and was fortunate to survive while also fighting the demon drink. The player maintains that he has now fought off his demons and is clear of drink and drugs, a fitting end for one of the world's most talented football geniuses and a more positive outlook than the one for the great George Best.