Football legend Maradona commemorated on the 3rd anniversary of his passing

Maradona, who won 9 championships in various competitions while playing for Boca Juniors, Barcelona, and Napoli during his career, and achieved the success of winning the 1986 World Cup with the Argentina National Team, wrote his name in the history of football in golden letters.

Maradona, who is accepted by most football authorities as the "greatest footballer in history" alongside Brazilian Pele, and whom some argue was even more talented than Pele, was born on October 30, 1960, in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina.

The talent of Maradona, the child of a factory worker father and a housewife mother, was discovered at the age of 8, and he began playing for the neighborhood team Estrella Roja.

Maradona, who signed a professional contract with Argentinos Juniors, where he entered the youth academy, before even turning 16, transferred to one of Europe's major clubs, Barcelona, after winning a championship at Boca Juniors, where he went in 1981.

Maradona in Europe

Playing 58 matches in all competitions for the Spanish club Barcelona between 1982-1984 and scoring 38 goals, Maradona experienced the joy of winning 3 trophies.

The Argentine star reached the Copa del Rey, Spanish Super Cup, and La Liga Cup championships in 1983.

Transferring in 1984 to the Italian team Napoli, where he would become a legend, Maradona played in 259 matches in all competitions and scored 115 goals.

While Napoli reached a level where it could compete with strong teams in the league thanks to Maradona, during this period, in addition to 2 league championships, one UEFA Cup, one Coppa Italia, and one Italian Super Cup took their place in the club's trophy cabinet.

After Napoli, Maradona played for Sevilla, Newell's Old Boys, and finally his former team Boca Juniors, ending his active career in 1997.

Maradona played 588 matches in all competitions with the teams he played for and recorded 312 goals.

The 1986 World Cup in Maradona's hands

Maradona made his name known to the whole world with his superior performance in the FIFA World Cup, which Argentina took to its trophy cabinet in 1986.

The star player, who was the target of controversy with the goal he scored with his hand against England in the quarter-finals of the tournament, carried the ball 60 meters in the same match, dribbled past 5 players, and sent it into the net. This goal was chosen as the "goal of the century" in a vote held by FIFA in 2002.

Argentina, with Maradona, reached the championship by defeating West Germany 3-2 in the 1986 World Cup final.

Maradona played 91 matches with the national team jersey and scored 34 goals.

Scandals were not missing from his fascinating career

The drug problem of Maradona, who played a major role in Argentina reaching the final in the 1990 World Cup, was reflected in the public eye in 1991. The famous footballer, who was sentenced to 15 months for drug use in the same year, was expelled from the 1994 World Cup on the grounds that he used a banned substance.

Maradona, who experienced serious health problems in 2004 and 2007 due to this addiction, had a tax debt of more than 37 million euros dating back to his years at Napoli between 1984-1991, which caused him to constantly have problems with Italian authorities.

His coaching career was not like his playing career

The coaching life of football legend Diego Armando Maradona did not go as successfully as his active career.

The Argentine star, who is shown as one of the greatest footballers in history, was among the names who disappointed in coaching, which they started after a career full of trophies.

Maradona took his first steps into his coaching life in his own country. The legendary player, who coached Textil Mandiyu in 1994 and Racing in 1995 with his former teammate from Argentinos Juniors, Carlos Fren, was appointed as the coach of the Argentina National Team in 2008, replacing Alfio Basile.

Maradona, who was entrusted with the national team during the 2010 World Cup process due to public pressure, had his tenure ended after Argentina was eliminated by losing 4-0 to Germany, whom they faced in the quarter-finals.

Known for being "sharp-tongued," Maradona did not stay quiet during his 2-year national team coaching period. Maradona, who insulted members of the press after the victory against Uruguay in the qualifiers, which qualified Argentina for the 2010 World Cup, was given a 2-month ban by FIFA.

Later coaching the teams Al-Wasl, Al-Fujairah, Dorados de Sinaloa, and Gimnasia de La Plata, Maradona remained behind his brilliant football career.

The first World Cup without him went to Argentina

Argentina managed to reach the championship in the first FIFA World Cup in which Maradona was not alive.

Facing France at the Lusail Stadium, Argentina became the owner of the cup for the third time after 1978 and 1986, establishing a 4-2 superiority over its opponent in penalty kicks in the final, where the normal time ended 2-2 and the extra time ended 3-3.

News Source: 12punto