Diego Maradona RIP

[dagraham]

What's worse, handball or kicking the shit out of someone?

I know what you mean, but it was a different game back then. Cheating has always been cheating though, whatever era, and to be honest if he hadn’t been so brazen and almost proud about what he did I don’t think the reaction through the years would have been quite so bitter.

A long time ago now though and doesn’t diminish him as a player imo. Probably the greatest ever for me, along with Messi.

Wonder how much better he could have even been if he hadn’t been a coke head?

 

['O Zio]

I know what you mean, but it was a different game back then. Cheating has always been cheating though, whatever era.

Surely cynically hacking someone down or booting them up in the air because they've got you beaten is also a form of cheating, no?

 

[jurgen]

Surely cynically hacking someone down or booting them up in the air because they've got you beaten is also a form of cheating, no?

As long as you did it openly, whether it was a hack, kick or an elbow, then it's 'honest' and therefore showed good old 'English spirit'.

 

[VegasII]

I haven’t listened to this but I’m sure it will be good:

Maradona's Napoli - Golazzo: The Totally Italian Football Show

The story of the love affair between one man & one city: Diego Maradona's seven sensational seasons in Naples. James Horncastle is joined by Asif Kapadia

www.thetotallyfootballshow.com

 

[Gassin's finest]

I remember our own Robbie Keane handled the ball once, and ended up scoring from it. In the post match interview he admitted "yeah, I used my hand but I got away with it," or words to that effect.

 

['O Zio]

As long as you did it openly, whether it was a hack, kick or an elbow, then it's 'honest' and therefore showed good old 'English spirit'.

Maradona did it openly to be fair. Everyone and their dog saw it except the bloody ref.

 

[popstar7]

I think what riled a lot of people wasn't just the handball itself but saying it was the 'Hand of God'. He obviously meant it as a joke but people either didn't appreciate the joke or found it arrogant and rubbing salt in the wound. If he'd been a bit more diplomatic it probably wouldn't have turned into such a big deal (for some people).

 

[JCRD]

So a question and Maradona in footballing terms was kind of before i even knew I liked football - how does one who is a superstar like Maradona go from Barcelona to a Napoli given that from what ive heard Napoli had barely won much beforehand?

Whats the backstory as it were? Is it like Messi going to i dont know a Southampton? I dont know the equivalent but im sure you get the jist

 

[Gassin's finest]

For those interested, our very own Billy Wingrove did a cool documentary about the culture of Argentinian football, and how it came out of the Buenos Aires neighbourhoods:

 

[SpringHeeledJim]

So a question and Maradona in footballing terms was kind of before i even knew I liked football - how does one who is a superstar like Maradona go from Barcelona to a Napoli given that from what ive heard Napoli had barely won much beforehand?

Whats the backstory as it were? Is it like Messi going to i dont know a Southampton? I dont know the equivalent but im sure you get the jist

They offered the most money. It was as simple as that I think.. Maradona hardly knew anything about them/the deal but was just very keen to get away from Barcelona and they wanted the cash. Probably other reasons too but this is from what I've read. Maradona's autobiography is a must read for anyone interested in him

 

[JCRD]

They offered the most money. It was as simple as that I think.. Maradona hardly knew anything about them/the deal but was just very keen to get away from Barcelona and they wanted the cash. Probably other reasons too but this is from what I've read. Maradona's autobiography is a must read for anyone interested in him

I may watch the documentary they did of him becasue it would be interesting to see how that all panned out.

 

[TheGreatOldOne]

I don't really get when people say they wish his legend wasn't tarnished by the lifestyle or the hand of God etc. because to me that's all part of what makes him such an iconic figure.

Of course he was one of the best (IMO the best) players of all time but it just wouldn't be the same if he was some whiter than white quiet lad who kept himself to himself. Although Messi, for example, is arguably up there with Maradona talent-wise, to me he's never going to be as iconic, partly because he's never dragged a crap team to glory like Maradona did, but also partly because despite his magic on the pitch, he's an incredibly boring/nothingy bloke off it. He's like a purpose built finely crafted product from the La Masia factory rather than this crazy almost cartoonish everyman done good figure like Maradona.

The crazy tortured genius will always be more iconic than the immaculate "laboritory" perfection IMO.

Agreed.
What is more: Messi has only ever played for Barcelona. He has never been forced to convince the media, the fans and everybody else in a different league or country.
When Maradona arrived in Napoli most were rather openly hostile to him, especially as he played for an southern club in a society rife with racism (much, much worse than today).

Has Messi ever moved out of his comfort zone in the past 20 years?

 

[dagraham]

Surely cynically hacking someone down or booting them up in the air because they've got you beaten is also a form of cheating, no?

Yeah, fair point.

 

[Marty]

I may watch the documentary they did of him becasue it would be interesting to see how that all panned out.

Fantastic film, I watched it last night.

When Maradona arrived in Napoli most were rather openly hostile to him, especially as he played for an southern club in a society rife with racism (much, much worse than today).

The documentary portrayed that amazingly well. The chants Juve fans sung when Maradona's Napoli visited, the whole attitude towards the South and Naples in particular was quite something.

And then when Maradona scored against Italy in the semi final shootout in '90, everyone and everything that had protected him from the authorities abandoned him and that's when the drug charges, the hiring of prostitutes, the mafia links, it all came to the surface. Incredible story and just enhances the legend.

 

[Gassin's finest]

Fantastic film, I watched it last night.


The documentary portrayed that amazingly well. The chants Juve fans sung when Maradona's Napoli visited, the whole attitude towards the South and Naples in particular was quite something.

And then when Maradona scored against Italy in the semi final shootout in '90, everyone and everything that had protected him from the authorities abandoned him and that's when the drug charges, the hiring of prostitutes, the mafia links, it all came to the surface. Incredible story and just enhances the legend.

And in bloody Naples no less!

 

[SlotBadger]

What's worse, handball or kicking the shit out of someone?

Urgh. First reply I see makes me want to trade places with the goat in the Tyrannosaurus paddock.

 

[SlotBadger]

FIFA has only gone and done something decent; uploaded the film mentioned earlier in the thread.

I still get goosebumps, thanks to the combination of the close-up footage, Michael Caine’s narration, Rick Wakeman’s score, and Bryon Butler’s commentary (”Maradona, turns like a little eel”).
The production of this is greater than any other football-related movie I’ve ever seen, although my adoration is probably exacerbated by childhood nostalgia.

Being part Danish, this video is the sole reason Michael Laudrup became my first ever international footballing hero.

Please, if you have 90 minutes to kill...

Hero: The Official Film of the 1986 FIFA World Cup
Narrated by Michael Caine
Music by Rick Wakeman

 

[ohtottenham!]

Apologies if these quotes have already been mentioned from Maradona’s ’86 Final team mates, Valdano and Enrique. But Valdano’s quote just shows the weird, peripheral and panoramic vision Maradona had while scoring the best goal in WC history. It also shows he was a team player beyond it all.

“Diego apologised to me after he scored the second goal against England," said Argentinian teammate Jorge Valdano. "He could see me unmarked at the far post the whole way but he couldn’t find a gap to get the ball to me."

"The fact is I felt offended. It was an insult to my profession. I mean, even on a run like that he still has the time to look up and see me. As a player I was nothing compared to him. He was incredible.”

Enrique who simply tapped the ball to Maradona in his own half before Diego went on his merry way, had the funniest line. “With a pass like that, how could he miss?”

The Best Quotes About Diego Maradona

On Wednesday, football lost one of the finest players to grace the field after Diego Maradona passed away at the age of 60. The Argentinian possessed outrageous

www.90min.com

 

[Marty]

FIFA have made all Argentina World Cup matches that Maradona played in available to their rights holders for the next week so if BBC et al do their job there's going to be a lot of 82, 86 and 90 games up on their services to watch in the coming days.

 

[Col_M]

They offered the most money. It was as simple as that I think.. Maradona hardly knew anything about them/the deal but was just very keen to get away from Barcelona and they wanted the cash. Probably other reasons too but this is from what I've read. Maradona's autobiography is a must read for anyone interested in him

It was a record transfers at the time, I think £12m. alleged Drug use was also seen as a factor with Barcelona wanting to move him on.

If I had to compare Naples then, I’d say it’s more like Newcastle, Sheffield, Leeds, Liverpool. (Imagine Noys from the Black Stuff with Spaghetti) Naples was a slum, overrun my Mafia. It’s also the biggest city in the south. The Northern/South divide in Italy is the opposite to the UK.