"If I hadn't been born in the shanty, I wouldn't be Maradona." (Maradona)(1:9).The shanty is a suburb of Buenos Aires where Maradona played with his relatives and friends football for the first time in a competitive way. Trying his best to overcome his size and age, he practiced his skills and God-given talent. By the age of 8 years old, scouts and trainers of youth clubs were stanched by that young, short and dwarf like boy. His first coach demanded to see his identity card and said "Squat, a little weird, almost dwarfs like ... Small, large head, great skills, didn't look strong" (1:19). By the age of 10, his talent was discovered by Argentina TV producer; he was asked to show his skills in a TV program between half times in football matches by dribbling a ball, an orange and even a half full bottle of water. In July 1970 in the half time match played by Argentina Juniors in a so so match the fans didn't want him to stop, they didn't want the second half to start and they asked him to stay and dribble the ball. (1:19-21).That was the start of Maradona's love by the fans and his love of fame.
Turned professional in the year 1976 when he joined Argentina Juniors at the age of 16. In October 20th 1976 he played his first match as the youngest professional player ever to play in the Argentinean primer division. He scored his first goal, in spite of the loss of his team in that match; Maradona started his first step in football player immortality. He played with Argentina Juniors for five seasons, in 166 matches, and he scored 116 goals. He was selected in 1979 and 1980 by Argentinean Football Writers as the Football Player of the Year; also, he was selected in the same years by the Argentina Sport Writers' as the Football Player of the Year and the Sport Personality of the Year. When the Argentinean youth team won the FIFA youth world cup under his leadership in 1979, he was honored as the South American Footballer of the Year by El Mundo Caracas, and the legend was born so quickly. Even Maradona didn't think that he would become that great so quickly, and he said "I always knew that I would become great one day but not so quickly." (1:37)
Maradona was loaned to Boca Juniors by Argentina Juniors for the sum of $5.1 Million in February 13th 1981 for the period of 16 months. That was the first transfer for Maradona and his first time to play in a great team. He had a chance to win the championship, which he did in 1981 by playing 40 matches, scoring 28 goals, and as usual he was honored by the Argentina Football Writers and Argentina Sport Writers when they selected him as the Football Player of the Year 1981. (4:1-3)
In 1978, one of Barcelona's scouts was in a fact finding mission before the world cup in Argentina. He was so impressed and stanched by 18 year old Maradona. Then, when he returned back he told Barcelona coach that he found a player as good as Di Stefano and Pelé but no deal was made (1:65).And again in 1980, a deal for $6 Million between Argentina Juniors and Barcelona failed. Four years later, a deal between Argentina Juniors and Barcelona was made for the sum of $7.3 Million and he was transferred to Barcelona the great Catalonian of Spain. Maradona's salary was 50,000 US Dollars per year. The chance of Maradona to show the world his greatness was not in 1978 neither 1980, but it was in 1982. He played 58 matches and scored 38 goals. He wasn't comfortable playing with Barça, which affected his performance. It added to this the bad relations between him and the president of the Barcelona football club. That reflected on his performance with the Argentina national team in the FIFA world cup 1982, which was disappointing for him and for his team after he was sent-off in the quarter final match when he received a red card. (4:1-3). His journey to the Barça ended on the 5th of July 1984 when they sold him to Napoli.
Napoli is the capital of the Mafia and the land of Mardaona. S.S.C. Napoli paid $19.4 Million to get Maradona from Barcelona. They needed a miracle to lift up their team from the bottom of the Seire A and to save them from dropping to the Serie B, and they got the miracle Diego Armando Maradona. His first game with Napoli they lost 3 – 1 against Verona, but that wasn't the sign for things to come, it was the opposite. He saved them for dropping to Serie B in the first year. During the second year, Napoli was competing for top 4 positions in the Scudetto; one year later they won their first ever Italian championship, and they also won the Italian cup for the first time in the club history, in 1986-1987. They needed a miracle and they got a god with thousand miracle. The triumph of Maradona with Napoli continued year after year for 7 seasons, which was more than enough to made Maradona the sample of Napoli football club and Napoli the city. Napoli won the UEFA cup 1989 under the leadership of Maradona, if we want to talk about one of the miracle that Maradona give to the football world then this cup was miracle of all times and the achievement of a life time for Napoli the club, the city and the fans. (7: Para. 3-5) Again in 1990, Maradona with his S.S.C. Napoli won the Italian Scudetto for the second time. That was his achievement with Napoli, but with Argentina in 1986 Maradona did more than a miracle where he made his greatest achievement ever in his personal football carrier. Argentina won the FIFA world cup. Nobody remembered the Argentina team, but everybody remembered Maradona and what he did for that world cup. He took no name, no talent team to the world cup and won it by him self. In other words, he played like a champion, like a man with a mission. He just wanted to win a world cup that he failed to win in 1982, and he did. (4:1)
Maradona become the best player on the planet for all times, by 1986, after he won 6 individual honors in 1986:
- Argentina Sports Writers Footballer of the Year.
- Argentina Sports Personality of the Year.
- South America Footballer of the Year, by El Munda Caracas.
- Golden Ball for Player of the FIFA World Cup.
- Best Footballer Player in the World, by Onze.
- European Footballer of the Player of the Year, by France Football.
That was the year of "El Pibe De Oro" Diego Armando Maradona; he also won 3 more individual honors in his run with Napoli by taking:
- In 1987 Best Footballer in the World, by the Onze.
- In 1989 and 1990 South America Footballer if the Year, by El Mundo Caracas.
He played 259 matches scored 115 goals. The year 1991 was the end of Maradona’s carrier in Napoli and Italy, after the 1990 FIFA world cup when Argentina again under the leadership of Maradona, they lost the final match to Germany, 1 – 0, with a controversy penalty kick which started the end of Maradona ‘s carrier, when he accused the FIFA with cheating. (4:1-2)
He was transferred to Seville from Napoli in 1992 for the amount of £4.5 Million after one year suspension from football by FIFA for drug allegation. He played 29 matches, scored 7 goals and with no achievement with them, he lasted there one year only, and he was out. In 1993, he played with the national team of Argentina and won Copa Artemio Franchi, and was selected again by the El Mundo Caracas as South America Footballer of the Year. (1:209)
From Seville, Spain Maradona went back home again, went back to his country Argentina. He signed a contract for twenty five thousand US Dollar per month with Newell's Old Boys in 1993 while Seville got $4 Million as a transfer fee from them. Maradona played only 8 matches with out scoring any goals. The end of his football carrier was very close, but the Argentina coach for the national team in the FIFA world cup 1994 didn't forget Maradona, and he selected him to lead the Argentinean team in the FIFA world cup 1994 in USA. This ended with a big disappointment for Maradona and Argentina when he tested positive in the end of the second match on that world cup, and he was suspended from his last world cup appearance; he played only 2 matches and scored 2 goals on them. (4:2)
Everybody thought that Maradona's carrier was finished as a football player when he took the job of trainer and head couch for Mandiyu de Corrientes in 1994 and the same job again for Racing Club de Avellaneda in 1995. He was not very successful. His temper and his altitude with players and referees ended that experiment very quickly. (4:3)
After 18 years of the up and down tribe of Maradona, he returned for the second time to Boca Juniors the team that he loved since he was very young and the team that loved him for ever. He played with them 31 matches scored 7 goals between the years 1995 and 1997. After the season 1997, Diego Armando Maradona finally retired from football when he was 37 years old. "Another 21 seasons, another final bow: the final curtain fell in Diego's carrier." (4: Para 4)
A fair well retirement match was played in his honor between the Argentina national team and the legends of old time football players. He showed in this match to the world why he is Maradona, in spite of his over weight and age.
Argentina Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Seville, and Newell's Old Boys had all witnessed at first hand the Maradona phenomenon – a pocket battleship, a player blessed with supreme technique and Magic. They and billions of football fans had watched the miracle maker Maradona over 21 years he played and they watched and enjoyed. Many football players have come and gone since the 1934 world cup, the real start of professional football, but no single player did what Maradona did. He is the only player in football history that took no names teams to champions. With Napoli the unknown team he made his name as football player but with Argentina national team in 1986 FIFA world cup he made his legend, his performance, in 1986 FIFA world cup was not proceeded and will not be achieved, his second goal against England was enough to seal his reputation as the greatest player on the planet, and the fans proved that in year 2000 when they selected Diego Armando Maradona as the player of the century by the FIFA best player in the century. The selection came after one year from his selection by Argentina Sport Writer Sportsman of the Century.
In conclusion, I believe that the Pibe De Oro –Diego Armando Maradona- is the best football player ever in the football history. The play he played on the green field for around 30 years makes me believe that he really does deserve all the honors that he has received. I think that without Diego Maradona, Argentina simply would not have won the World Cup in 1986.
