WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.080 Welcome to the Deep Dive, the place where we 00:00:02.080 --> 00:00:04.000 cut through the noise and give you those essential 00:00:04.000 --> 00:00:06.160 insights, those nuggets of brilliance that we 00:00:06.160 --> 00:00:08.339 pull directly from the source material you share 00:00:08.339 --> 00:00:11.900 with us. Today, we are tackling a figure whose 00:00:11.900 --> 00:00:15.439 life story, I mean, it reads like a tragic opera 00:00:15.439 --> 00:00:18.219 and a sporting fairy tale all rolled into one. 00:00:18.809 --> 00:00:21.530 We're doing deep dive on Diego Armando Maradona. 00:00:21.670 --> 00:00:23.910 And we are going so much further than just the 00:00:23.910 --> 00:00:26.489 highlight reels. Because to understand Maradona, 00:00:26.489 --> 00:00:29.050 you really have to understand this extreme, almost 00:00:29.050 --> 00:00:32.579 irreconcilable duality. The sources we have paint 00:00:32.579 --> 00:00:35.659 this picture of just wild swings from, you know, 00:00:35.659 --> 00:00:38.179 the crushing poverty of a Buenos Aires shantytown 00:00:38.179 --> 00:00:41.299 to the blinding light of global superstardom. 00:00:41.340 --> 00:00:43.619 I'm in right back down again. Exactly. Into this 00:00:43.619 --> 00:00:45.759 profound darkness of addiction, intense political 00:00:45.759 --> 00:00:48.380 activism and just relentless personal turmoil. 00:00:48.920 --> 00:00:51.380 This is a man who was, and rightly so, recognized 00:00:51.380 --> 00:00:53.979 alongside Pele as a joint winner of the FIFA 00:00:53.979 --> 00:00:55.619 Player of the 20th Century Award. He's a complete 00:00:55.619 --> 00:00:57.799 paradox. And that's really what we're here to 00:00:57.799 --> 00:01:00.869 unpack today. Absolutely. So our mission is to 00:01:00.869 --> 00:01:03.490 take this, I mean, this massive stack of history 00:01:03.490 --> 00:01:06.150 and mythology and really unpack the journey of 00:01:06.150 --> 00:01:08.150 El Pib de Oro, the golden boy. We're going to 00:01:08.150 --> 00:01:10.870 explore the absolute peak of his genius and, 00:01:10.930 --> 00:01:13.109 of course, the undeniable depths of his struggles. 00:01:13.290 --> 00:01:16.049 The goal is to not get lost in the sheer volume 00:01:16.049 --> 00:01:19.010 of it all, but to come away with some meaningful, 00:01:19.170 --> 00:01:21.829 memorable insights. And here is where it gets 00:01:21.829 --> 00:01:23.969 really interesting for you, the learner. We're 00:01:23.969 --> 00:01:26.629 going to zero in on those defining, almost mythological 00:01:26.629 --> 00:01:29.989 moments of the 1986 World Cup, and we'll discuss 00:01:29.989 --> 00:01:32.969 why he remains not just a sporting icon, but 00:01:32.969 --> 00:01:35.590 this deeply polarizing, almost quasi -religious 00:01:35.590 --> 00:01:38.400 figure across the globe. The narrative thread 00:01:38.400 --> 00:01:40.439 tying it all together is that amazing description 00:01:40.439 --> 00:01:42.799 from the French newspaper L 'Equipe. They called 00:01:42.799 --> 00:01:44.780 him half angel, half devil. Half angel, half 00:01:44.780 --> 00:01:46.540 devil. I love that. So we're going to explore 00:01:46.540 --> 00:01:48.640 what happens when that kind of genius just collides 00:01:48.640 --> 00:01:51.180 with reality. OK, so let's start this journey 00:01:51.180 --> 00:01:53.579 by really setting the foundation. You absolutely 00:01:53.579 --> 00:01:55.859 cannot understand Maradona, the man, the political 00:01:55.859 --> 00:01:58.219 firebrand, the genius, without understanding 00:01:58.219 --> 00:02:00.459 exactly where he came from. This was the ultimate 00:02:00.459 --> 00:02:03.079 rags to riches story. It's the very core of his 00:02:03.079 --> 00:02:05.299 identity. It's the core of his enduring appeal. 00:02:05.680 --> 00:02:08.580 Diego Armando Maradona. was born in Llanos, the 00:02:08.580 --> 00:02:10.780 province of Buenos Aires, back in October 1960. 00:02:11.360 --> 00:02:13.539 His family was extremely poor. They had moved 00:02:13.539 --> 00:02:16.300 from Corrientes province, which is in the northeast 00:02:16.300 --> 00:02:18.740 of the country. Right. And he grew up in Villa 00:02:18.740 --> 00:02:22.319 Fiorito, which was, and largely still is, a shanty 00:02:22.319 --> 00:02:24.560 town. A slum, really, on the southern edge of 00:02:24.560 --> 00:02:26.900 the capital. And the sources really emphasize 00:02:26.900 --> 00:02:30.020 this part. His father, Diego Chitora Maradona, 00:02:30.139 --> 00:02:32.800 worked at a chemicals factory. This was a deep, 00:02:32.900 --> 00:02:36.639 real working class background, not some romanticized 00:02:36.639 --> 00:02:39.680 version of poverty. Precisely. And his father 00:02:39.680 --> 00:02:42.319 had indigenous Quarani and also Galician -Spanish 00:02:42.319 --> 00:02:44.699 ancestry. And that identity, that marginalized 00:02:44.699 --> 00:02:46.919 background, that indigenous root, it was something 00:02:46.919 --> 00:02:49.439 Maradona aggressively asserted later in his life, 00:02:49.500 --> 00:02:51.699 especially when he was challenged by the established 00:02:51.699 --> 00:02:54.500 affluent European institutions. Football became 00:02:54.500 --> 00:02:58.139 his only way out, his only viable path out of 00:02:58.139 --> 00:02:59.639 that scarcity. And his relationship with the 00:02:59.639 --> 00:03:01.580 game started almost before he could even walk, 00:03:01.719 --> 00:03:04.159 right? Essentially, yeah. He got his first football 00:03:04.159 --> 00:03:06.379 as a gift when he was three years old, and he 00:03:06.379 --> 00:03:09.780 was completely devoted to it. The sheer force 00:03:09.780 --> 00:03:13.259 of his natural talent was just impossible to 00:03:13.259 --> 00:03:16.000 ignore. By the time he was eight, he was spotted 00:03:16.000 --> 00:03:18.219 by a talent scout while playing for his local 00:03:18.219 --> 00:03:21.580 neighborhood team, Esrella Roja. Just eight years 00:03:21.580 --> 00:03:24.740 old? Eight. And that scout recommended him in 00:03:24.740 --> 00:03:28.080 March 1969 to Los Cebolitas the Little Onions, 00:03:28.139 --> 00:03:31.199 which was the junior team of a club called Argentinos 00:03:31.199 --> 00:03:33.860 Juniors. And the story of Los Cebolitas isn't 00:03:33.860 --> 00:03:36.020 just some nice little anecdote, is it? It's really 00:03:36.020 --> 00:03:38.659 the formal beginning of the legend of Maradona 00:03:38.659 --> 00:03:41.879 the Child Prodigy. It absolutely is. From 1973 00:03:41.879 --> 00:03:45.289 to 1974 with Maradona as the... the engine of 00:03:45.289 --> 00:03:47.509 the team, they went on this completely phenomenal 00:03:47.509 --> 00:03:50.949 run. Get this, 141 undefeated games in a row. 00:03:51.090 --> 00:03:53.310 Wow. Our sources confirm this is still regarded 00:03:53.310 --> 00:03:55.689 as the best youth team run in the entire history 00:03:55.689 --> 00:03:57.830 of Argentine football. They weren't just winning 00:03:57.830 --> 00:03:59.789 youth tournaments, they were obliterating the 00:03:59.789 --> 00:04:01.969 competition. And I love that story about his 00:04:01.969 --> 00:04:04.189 youth coach, Francisco Cornejo. They literally 00:04:04.189 --> 00:04:06.710 thought he was lying about his age. It just speaks 00:04:06.710 --> 00:04:08.969 volumes about his maturity on the pitch, doesn't 00:04:08.969 --> 00:04:11.509 it? Cornejo was so astonished by what he was 00:04:11.509 --> 00:04:14.590 seeing that he actually demanded to see Maradona's 00:04:14.590 --> 00:04:18.529 ID card. No way. Yeah. The belief was that no 00:04:18.529 --> 00:04:20.569 eight -year -old could possibly possess that 00:04:20.569 --> 00:04:22.529 level of skill and, you know, that understanding 00:04:22.529 --> 00:04:25.129 of the game. The coach's quote on it is perfect. 00:04:25.589 --> 00:04:28.689 He said, although he had the physique of a child, 00:04:28.810 --> 00:04:31.959 he played like an adult. Once it confirmed his 00:04:31.959 --> 00:04:34.639 age, they knew they had this unprecedented talent 00:04:34.639 --> 00:04:37.100 on their hands and basically dedicated their 00:04:37.100 --> 00:04:39.980 entire focus to nurturing him. And even as a 00:04:39.980 --> 00:04:41.980 preteen, he was already an entertainer. He was 00:04:41.980 --> 00:04:44.339 a ball boy during the first division games. And 00:04:44.339 --> 00:04:46.680 during halftime, he'd go out and amuse the entire 00:04:46.680 --> 00:04:48.959 stadium with these dazzling ball skills. He was 00:04:48.959 --> 00:04:50.939 always magnetic, always drawn to that spotlight. 00:04:51.160 --> 00:04:53.420 And that magnetism led directly to his professional 00:04:53.420 --> 00:04:56.180 debut at an impossibly young age. October 20, 00:04:56.360 --> 00:04:59.259 1976. just 10 days before his 16th birthday. 00:04:59.480 --> 00:05:01.279 He became the youngest player in the history 00:05:01.279 --> 00:05:03.779 of the Argentine Primera Division. And that first 00:05:03.779 --> 00:05:06.560 touch, the symbolic moment he remembered for 00:05:06.560 --> 00:05:08.860 the rest of his life, it just perfectly captures 00:05:08.860 --> 00:05:11.800 his swagger and his genius. He pulls off a famous 00:05:11.800 --> 00:05:14.480 nutmeg. Kicks the ball straight through the legs 00:05:14.480 --> 00:05:17.439 of Juan Domingo Cabrera. An announcement. It 00:05:17.439 --> 00:05:20.019 was a total announcement. I am here, and I play 00:05:20.019 --> 00:05:22.959 by different rules. Maradona later recalled that 00:05:22.959 --> 00:05:25.779 feeling, saying, that day I felt I had held the 00:05:25.779 --> 00:05:29.079 sky in my hands. And Cabrera, the guy on the 00:05:29.079 --> 00:05:31.600 receiving end, he confirmed the sheer audacity 00:05:31.600 --> 00:05:33.480 of it. He said when he went to pressure the kid, 00:05:33.639 --> 00:05:36.279 Maradona didn't give me a chance. He made the 00:05:36.279 --> 00:05:37.899 nutmeg, and when I turned around, he was far 00:05:37.899 --> 00:05:40.420 away from me. Huh. And then he scores his first 00:05:40.420 --> 00:05:42.439 professional goals just two weeks later, right 00:05:42.439 --> 00:05:45.339 after turning 16. So he spends five incredibly 00:05:45.339 --> 00:05:48.000 productive years at Argentinos Juniors, really 00:05:48.000 --> 00:05:50.339 cementing his reputation before that inevitable 00:05:50.339 --> 00:05:52.759 move to a massive club. And when you say productive. 00:05:52.980 --> 00:05:55.600 I mean extremely productive. Between 76 and 81, 00:05:55.759 --> 00:05:59.540 he racks up 115 goals in 167 appearances. And 00:05:59.540 --> 00:06:02.120 he wasn't just scoring. He was dominating the 00:06:02.120 --> 00:06:04.879 entire domestic scene. He won the league's top 00:06:04.879 --> 00:06:07.759 scorer award for four straight tournaments, the 00:06:07.759 --> 00:06:10.860 Metropolitano and national titles in both 1979 00:06:10.860 --> 00:06:14.120 and 1980. With that kind of record, it's actually 00:06:14.120 --> 00:06:16.980 surprising he stayed there for five years. Why 00:06:16.980 --> 00:06:20.279 the move to Boca Juniors in 1981? Was it just 00:06:20.279 --> 00:06:22.680 about stepping up or was his celebrity already 00:06:22.680 --> 00:06:24.879 demanding a bigger stage? It was a mix of both, 00:06:24.980 --> 00:06:28.000 really, and a bit of defiance. He had huge offers 00:06:28.000 --> 00:06:30.180 on the table, most notably from River Plate, 00:06:30.339 --> 00:06:32.879 Boca's biggest rivals. They were willing to make 00:06:32.879 --> 00:06:35.060 him their best paid player. But he chose Boca. 00:06:35.139 --> 00:06:37.060 He chose Boca Juniors. River Plate, ironically, 00:06:37.060 --> 00:06:38.959 dropped their bid because of their own financial 00:06:38.959 --> 00:06:41.939 issues. But Maradona chose the club of the people. 00:06:42.439 --> 00:06:45.300 He signed in February 81 and immediately scored 00:06:45.300 --> 00:06:47.699 twice on his debut. And it was at Boca that he 00:06:47.699 --> 00:06:50.199 got his only Argentine domestic league title. 00:06:50.439 --> 00:06:54.480 Correct. The 1981 Metropolitano title. And despite 00:06:54.480 --> 00:06:57.259 winning, his relationship with the manager, Silvio 00:06:57.259 --> 00:06:59.740 Marzolini, was apparently pretty distrustful. 00:07:00.360 --> 00:07:02.819 But Maradona's presence was enough. It was a 00:07:02.819 --> 00:07:05.699 brief but really important final chapter in Argentina. 00:07:05.839 --> 00:07:08.279 He had conquered his home country. Now the world 00:07:08.279 --> 00:07:10.949 was calling. The move to Europe. This begins 00:07:10.949 --> 00:07:13.689 a trend that just defined his entire life. Wherever 00:07:13.689 --> 00:07:16.689 he went, he set records. And wherever he went, 00:07:16.769 --> 00:07:20.149 he also created this spectacular level of chaos 00:07:20.149 --> 00:07:22.850 and drama. That's the duality right there coming 00:07:22.850 --> 00:07:25.209 straight into play. I mean, just look at the 00:07:25.209 --> 00:07:28.009 financial impact alone. Maradona was the first 00:07:28.009 --> 00:07:30.370 player in history to break the world record transfer 00:07:30.370 --> 00:07:33.029 feat, not just once. But twice. But twice, within 00:07:33.029 --> 00:07:35.129 two years. That tells you the market recognized 00:07:35.129 --> 00:07:37.949 his generational genius, but maybe didn't fully 00:07:37.949 --> 00:07:40.629 anticipate the... emotional baggage that came 00:07:40.629 --> 00:07:42.329 along with it twice okay so break down those 00:07:42.329 --> 00:07:45.350 record moves for us so in 1982 right after the 00:07:45.350 --> 00:07:47.990 world cup he transfers to fc barcelona in spain 00:07:47.990 --> 00:07:51.529 the fee was a world record at the time five million 00:07:51.529 --> 00:07:55.009 which was around 7 .6 million dollars then just 00:07:55.009 --> 00:07:57.689 two years later in 1984 he breaks his own record 00:07:57.689 --> 00:08:00.629 he moves to napoli and italy for 6 .9 million 00:08:00.629 --> 00:08:02.879 or about ten point four eight million dollars 00:08:02.879 --> 00:08:04.959 to dominate the global market like that while 00:08:04.959 --> 00:08:06.879 still so young. I mean, that tells you everything 00:08:06.879 --> 00:08:09.120 about how he was valued. It's incredible. So 00:08:09.120 --> 00:08:11.480 let's focus on that first European experience 00:08:11.480 --> 00:08:14.120 in Barcelona. It was only two seasons, just a 00:08:14.120 --> 00:08:17.540 brief flash, but it was just marred by incredibly 00:08:17.540 --> 00:08:20.670 bad luck and in the end, violence that. basically 00:08:20.670 --> 00:08:22.889 forced him out. Yeah, his time at Barcelona from 00:08:22.889 --> 00:08:26.129 82 to 84 was just defined by volatility. Under 00:08:26.129 --> 00:08:28.709 the coach Cesar Luis Minotti, he did have significant 00:08:28.709 --> 00:08:31.069 success. He helped the club win the Copa del 00:08:31.069 --> 00:08:33.210 Rey and the Copa de la Liga. Both against Real 00:08:33.210 --> 00:08:35.090 Madrid. Both against their arch rivals, Real 00:08:35.090 --> 00:08:36.850 Madrid. And there's that moment where he was 00:08:36.850 --> 00:08:39.710 applauded by the Real Madrid fans at the Santiago 00:08:39.710 --> 00:08:42.029 Bernabeu. That's a legendary sign of respect. 00:08:42.389 --> 00:08:44.750 It just speaks to the sheer quality of his play. 00:08:45.450 --> 00:08:48.450 In the 83 Copa de la Liga finals, he scored this 00:08:48.450 --> 00:08:51.330 brilliant, iconic goal. He dribbled past the 00:08:51.330 --> 00:08:55.009 keeper, and then he paused. Right. He just paused 00:08:55.009 --> 00:08:57.429 for a split second as a defender was sliding 00:08:57.429 --> 00:08:59.929 into block, let the defender crash into the post, 00:09:00.110 --> 00:09:02.389 and then he just casually slotted the ball into 00:09:02.389 --> 00:09:05.049 the empty net. So cheeky. And he became the first 00:09:05.049 --> 00:09:07.549 Barcelona player to ever get an ovation from 00:09:07.549 --> 00:09:10.490 the Real Madrid fans in their own stadium for 00:09:10.490 --> 00:09:13.169 scoring against him. Only Ronaldinho and Andres 00:09:13.169 --> 00:09:15.610 Iniesta have managed to do that since. But almost 00:09:15.610 --> 00:09:18.370 immediately, the setbacks start, and they were 00:09:18.370 --> 00:09:21.409 devastating. Yeah. He suffered a really bad bout 00:09:21.409 --> 00:09:23.490 of hepatitis, which sidelined him for a good 00:09:23.490 --> 00:09:26.809 while. But far, far worse was the tackle in September 00:09:26.809 --> 00:09:30.750 1983. It was from athletic Bilbao's notoriously 00:09:30.750 --> 00:09:33.889 aggressive defender, Andoni Goikoetsaya, who 00:09:33.889 --> 00:09:35.870 will forever be known as the Butcher of Bilbao. 00:09:36.009 --> 00:09:38.049 That tackle was career -threatening, wasn't it? 00:09:38.350 --> 00:09:40.970 Absolutely. Gojkovic broke Maradona's ankle. 00:09:41.070 --> 00:09:43.269 He was out for three months. And psychologically, 00:09:43.610 --> 00:09:45.990 I think that injury left a deep mark. He felt 00:09:45.990 --> 00:09:48.649 unprotected by referees, felt he was being targeted 00:09:48.649 --> 00:09:50.870 by defenders who knew the only way to stop him 00:09:50.870 --> 00:09:53.029 was through brutality. And Gojkovic kept the 00:09:53.029 --> 00:09:55.250 boot he used as a trophy. In a glass cabinet 00:09:55.250 --> 00:09:58.090 at home. He kept the boot he used to break Maradona's 00:09:58.090 --> 00:10:01.200 ankle. Unbelievable. And that level of open brutality 00:10:01.200 --> 00:10:04.840 leads directly to his final explosive exit, the 00:10:04.840 --> 00:10:08.639 mass brawl in the 1984 Copa del Rey final again 00:10:08.639 --> 00:10:11.360 against Athletic Bilbao. What does that incident 00:10:11.360 --> 00:10:14.279 tell us about his inability to just contain his 00:10:14.279 --> 00:10:16.740 own rage? It tells you that the genius and the 00:10:16.740 --> 00:10:19.669 rage were. Completely inseparable. The sources 00:10:19.669 --> 00:10:22.289 confirmed that after they lost one narrow, Maradona 00:10:22.289 --> 00:10:24.529 was being subjected to intense taunts, including 00:10:24.529 --> 00:10:26.870 racist insults about his father's Native American 00:10:26.870 --> 00:10:29.450 ancestry. And when one of the Bilbao players 00:10:29.450 --> 00:10:31.990 provoked him right at full time, Maradona just, 00:10:32.090 --> 00:10:35.070 he just snapped. He headbutted him, elbowed another 00:10:35.070 --> 00:10:37.269 player, needed a third one, knocked him unconscious. 00:10:37.690 --> 00:10:40.769 He started a 60 -person riot on the field in 00:10:40.769 --> 00:10:43.190 front of King Juan Carlos and millions watching 00:10:43.190 --> 00:10:46.809 on TV. 60 people were injured. The club just 00:10:46.809 --> 00:10:49.870 realized he was ungovernable. A Barcelona executive 00:10:49.870 --> 00:10:51.909 said that after seeing that fight, they knew 00:10:51.909 --> 00:10:54.049 they couldn't continue with him. So despite scoring 00:10:54.049 --> 00:10:56.889 38 goals in 58 games across those two injury 00:10:56.889 --> 00:10:59.750 -plagued seasons, his temper just sealed the 00:10:59.750 --> 00:11:02.570 deal. He was gone, immediately transferred to 00:11:02.570 --> 00:11:05.610 Italy. So he leaves Spanish chaos for Italian 00:11:05.610 --> 00:11:08.169 mania. He arrives in Naples, and the reception 00:11:08.169 --> 00:11:12.370 is, it's mythical. 75 ,000 fans greet him at 00:11:12.370 --> 00:11:14.779 the stadium. Why did the city of Naples embrace 00:11:14.779 --> 00:11:17.620 him with such like messianic zeal? This is more 00:11:17.620 --> 00:11:19.799 than a sports signing. It was a socioeconomic 00:11:19.799 --> 00:11:22.399 and cultural phenomenon. Italian football in 00:11:22.399 --> 00:11:24.980 the 80s was just utterly dominated by the rich 00:11:24.980 --> 00:11:27.600 industrial northern teams. Juventus, AC Milan, 00:11:27.980 --> 00:11:30.360 Inter Milan. Naples and southern Italy were seen 00:11:30.360 --> 00:11:33.860 as poor, marginalized, struggling. And Maradona, 00:11:34.019 --> 00:11:35.720 the working class kid from the shantytown who 00:11:35.720 --> 00:11:37.940 defied authority, he became their symbol against 00:11:37.940 --> 00:11:40.120 the powerful north. So he was a cultural champion 00:11:40.120 --> 00:11:42.100 for the oppressed before he even kicked the ball 00:11:42.100 --> 00:11:45.860 for them. Exactly. A sports writer, David Goldblatt, 00:11:45.899 --> 00:11:48.299 noted that the Neapolitans were convinced that 00:11:48.299 --> 00:11:51.309 the Savior had arrived. The level of hope was 00:11:51.309 --> 00:11:54.429 almost paralyzing. A local paper joked that the 00:11:54.429 --> 00:11:56.570 city could be missing a mayor, houses, schools, 00:11:56.789 --> 00:11:58.830 buses, whatever. Didn't matter. It didn't matter 00:11:58.830 --> 00:12:01.570 because we have Maradona. He just instantly connected 00:12:01.570 --> 00:12:04.129 with the city's entire identity. And he delivered. 00:12:04.210 --> 00:12:06.690 I mean, he elevated Napoli to their most successful 00:12:06.690 --> 00:12:09.570 period ever, making them genuine rivals to that 00:12:09.570 --> 00:12:11.970 northern elite. He was absolutely instrumental. 00:12:12.250 --> 00:12:14.730 He captained them and led them to their first 00:12:14.730 --> 00:12:18.110 ever Serie A championship in the 86 -87 season. 00:12:18.860 --> 00:12:21.259 They defied all expectations. And then they did 00:12:21.259 --> 00:12:23.559 it again. They won the title again in 89 -90. 00:12:23.879 --> 00:12:26.879 On top of that, they won the Coppa Italia, the 00:12:26.879 --> 00:12:29.419 Supercoppa Italiana, where they crushed Juventus 00:12:29.419 --> 00:12:32.639 5 -1 and, crucially, the UEFA Cup. That gave 00:12:32.639 --> 00:12:34.740 them European recognition. He even topped the 00:12:34.740 --> 00:12:37.460 Serie A scoring charts in 87 -88. I read about 00:12:37.460 --> 00:12:39.679 the celebrations after that first league title. 00:12:39.759 --> 00:12:41.899 They were just unprecedented in Italian sport. 00:12:42.409 --> 00:12:44.909 They were described as tumultuous. They went 00:12:44.909 --> 00:12:47.529 on for over a week. Sources talk about fans holding 00:12:47.529 --> 00:12:49.830 elaborate mock funerals for the rival northern 00:12:49.830 --> 00:12:52.750 clubs, Juventus and Milan, burning their coffins. 00:12:52.830 --> 00:12:55.669 Issuing death notices. Exactly. Issuing death 00:12:55.669 --> 00:12:59.370 notices, proclaiming, May 1987, the other Italy 00:12:59.370 --> 00:13:02.190 has been defeated. A new empire is born. The 00:13:02.190 --> 00:13:04.870 adoration was so intense that newborns were literally 00:13:04.870 --> 00:13:07.909 named in his honor. He was their king. Untouchable. 00:13:08.269 --> 00:13:11.070 the living embodiment of their pride. But true 00:13:11.070 --> 00:13:14.070 to form, the shadows start to creep in. The pressure 00:13:14.070 --> 00:13:16.370 cooker of Naples, combined with his own demons, 00:13:16.570 --> 00:13:19.169 it brought about his downfall in Italy. The intense 00:13:19.169 --> 00:13:21.210 spotlight, the constant cultural war between 00:13:21.210 --> 00:13:23.809 North and South. It just proved to be too much. 00:13:23.950 --> 00:13:26.169 His personal problems accelerated dramatically, 00:13:26.590 --> 00:13:28.470 particularly the cocaine use that had started 00:13:28.470 --> 00:13:31.110 back in Barcelona. In Naples, it became a severe, 00:13:31.250 --> 00:13:33.009 severe addiction. The club started fining him 00:13:33.009 --> 00:13:36.029 heavily, like $70 ,000 for missing games and 00:13:36.029 --> 00:13:38.190 practices. But the problem was just spiraling 00:13:38.190 --> 00:13:40.269 out of control. And then came the deeply concerning 00:13:40.269 --> 00:13:43.169 allegations involving organized crime. Yes, he 00:13:43.169 --> 00:13:45.889 faced intense suspicion over an alleged friendship 00:13:45.889 --> 00:13:48.750 with the Camorra, the Neapolitan mafia. Now, 00:13:48.750 --> 00:13:50.450 the sources generally indicate that the relationship 00:13:50.450 --> 00:13:53.190 was based on the Camorra using him for prestige. 00:13:53.429 --> 00:13:55.529 Right. Providing him with drugs, protection, 00:13:55.850 --> 00:13:58.659 organizing parties. rather than him being some 00:13:58.659 --> 00:14:01.220 kind of active operative. But the association 00:14:01.220 --> 00:14:03.580 was devastating for his reputation and put him 00:14:03.580 --> 00:14:05.919 under constant police surveillance. He was a 00:14:05.919 --> 00:14:08.620 cash cow and a high -profile target in a very 00:14:08.620 --> 00:14:10.980 corrupt city. And the ultimate betrayal, at least 00:14:10.980 --> 00:14:13.240 in the eyes of many Italians, came after the 00:14:13.240 --> 00:14:16.379 1990 World Cup semifinal, which was held in Naples 00:14:16.379 --> 00:14:20.019 itself. That moment was the turning point. Maradona 00:14:20.019 --> 00:14:22.860 pleaded with the Neapolitan fans to support Argentina, 00:14:23.139 --> 00:14:25.899 the underdog, against the rest of Italy. When 00:14:25.899 --> 00:14:28.100 Argentina won, the backlash in Italy and even 00:14:28.100 --> 00:14:31.080 among some Neapolitans was intense. He was harassed, 00:14:31.080 --> 00:14:33.559 his movement scrutinized. The city that had once 00:14:33.559 --> 00:14:35.899 protected him turned on him. His eventual departure 00:14:35.899 --> 00:14:39.220 in 1992, after a 15 -month ban for testing positive 00:14:39.220 --> 00:14:42.129 for cocaine, was done in disgrace. A devastating 00:14:42.129 --> 00:14:44.509 end to his most glorious chapter. Okay, so if 00:14:44.509 --> 00:14:47.370 his club career was this spectacular series of 00:14:47.370 --> 00:14:50.230 peaks and valleys, his performance in the 1986 00:14:50.230 --> 00:14:53.409 World Cup in Mexico was a singular mountain peak. 00:14:53.590 --> 00:14:56.610 It was the highest point he ever reached. A moment 00:14:56.610 --> 00:15:00.710 of pure, unified genius and defiance. It absolutely 00:15:00.710 --> 00:15:03.909 was. He captained Argentina to victory, and statistically 00:15:03.909 --> 00:15:06.549 and emotionally, he was the tournament. He played 00:15:06.549 --> 00:15:09.169 every single minute of every single game, scored 00:15:09.169 --> 00:15:12.519 five goals, and delivered five. assists. He asserted 00:15:12.519 --> 00:15:15.200 his dominance from the very start. But the whole 00:15:15.200 --> 00:15:17.860 tournament is really remembered for one single 00:15:17.860 --> 00:15:21.019 game. The quarterfinal against England played 00:15:21.019 --> 00:15:23.279 under incredible political tension because of 00:15:23.279 --> 00:15:25.600 the recent Falklands War. Oh, absolutely. The 00:15:25.600 --> 00:15:27.620 conflict was still raw. And for Argentinians, 00:15:27.639 --> 00:15:29.419 this wasn't just football. It was a chance for 00:15:29.419 --> 00:15:32.039 a symbolic victory. And within four minutes in 00:15:32.039 --> 00:15:34.259 the second half, Maradona gave the world the 00:15:34.259 --> 00:15:37.139 two goals that perfectly defined his entire complex 00:15:37.139 --> 00:15:40.450 character. First, the infamous moment. The hand 00:15:40.450 --> 00:15:43.450 of God. A flagrant handling foul. He leaped up 00:15:43.450 --> 00:15:45.529 with the much taller English keeper, Peter Shilton, 00:15:45.710 --> 00:15:47.929 but instead of using his head, he just clearly 00:15:47.929 --> 00:15:49.950 punches the ball into the net. And the ref missed 00:15:49.950 --> 00:15:53.250 it. The referee, Ali Ben -Assur, completely missed 00:15:53.250 --> 00:15:55.809 it. The goal stood. And his initial explanation, 00:15:56.250 --> 00:15:58.490 a little with the head of Maradona and a little 00:15:58.490 --> 00:16:00.909 with the hand of God, it's just iconic for its 00:16:00.909 --> 00:16:03.899 sheer coy arrogance. It is. But years later, 00:16:03.980 --> 00:16:06.220 he was completely honest about it. He admitted 00:16:06.220 --> 00:16:08.659 it was intentional, that he made no head contact 00:16:08.659 --> 00:16:11.399 at all. He knew immediately it was illegitimate. 00:16:11.539 --> 00:16:14.679 For the English, our sources note the righteous 00:16:14.679 --> 00:16:18.320 wrath the players felt. But for Argentina, this 00:16:18.320 --> 00:16:21.639 act was immediately romanticized. We hear the 00:16:21.639 --> 00:16:24.779 phrase viveza criolla. Can you explain what that 00:16:24.779 --> 00:16:27.340 cultural concept means and why it made the hand 00:16:27.340 --> 00:16:30.039 of God so powerful for them? That is such a crucial 00:16:30.039 --> 00:16:33.190 cultural nugget. The Vesa Criolla literally translates 00:16:33.190 --> 00:16:36.230 to Criollo cunning or native smarts. It describes 00:16:36.230 --> 00:16:38.850 a type of street smart, sometimes ethically questionable 00:16:38.850 --> 00:16:41.470 intelligence that allows the little guy, the 00:16:41.470 --> 00:16:44.470 underdog, to outsmart the system, to outsmart 00:16:44.470 --> 00:16:47.049 the powerful. It's a tool for defiance. A tool 00:16:47.049 --> 00:16:49.740 for survival and defiance. And in the context 00:16:49.740 --> 00:16:51.779 of the Falklands War and historical European 00:16:51.779 --> 00:16:54.480 dominance, the hand of God wasn't seen as cheating. 00:16:54.639 --> 00:16:57.559 It was interpreted as a brilliant, defiant act 00:16:57.559 --> 00:17:00.279 of street justice against the perceived arrogance 00:17:00.279 --> 00:17:03.179 of the English establishment. Maradon himself 00:17:03.179 --> 00:17:05.740 said in his autobiography, we knew they had killed 00:17:05.740 --> 00:17:08.160 a lot of Argentine boys there, and this was revenge. 00:17:08.779 --> 00:17:11.140 It was cultural and political vindication delivered 00:17:11.140 --> 00:17:14.059 by cunning. So that was the devil. But just four 00:17:14.059 --> 00:17:17.259 minutes later, we see the angel, the purest expression 00:17:17.259 --> 00:17:20.400 of footballing majesty, the goal of the century. 00:17:20.640 --> 00:17:23.220 It was pure, unadulterated genius. Maradona gets 00:17:23.220 --> 00:17:25.599 the ball in his own half, spins around, and just 00:17:25.599 --> 00:17:28.339 begins this almost impossible 60 -meter 11 -touch 00:17:28.339 --> 00:17:30.900 run. He systematically eliminates five English 00:17:30.900 --> 00:17:33.900 outfield players, Beardsley, Hodge, Reed, Butcher, 00:17:34.000 --> 00:17:36.660 Fenwick, before fainting past the legendary Peter 00:17:36.660 --> 00:17:38.970 Shilton and just sliding it home. Watching the 00:17:38.970 --> 00:17:41.130 replay, it looks like a glitch in a video game. 00:17:41.190 --> 00:17:43.450 The speed, the control, the changes of direction. 00:17:43.609 --> 00:17:46.170 It's just, it defies physics. It really does. 00:17:46.769 --> 00:17:49.650 FIFA .com voters later confirmed its status, 00:17:49.849 --> 00:17:52.410 voting it the greatest goal in World Cup history 00:17:52.410 --> 00:17:55.730 in 2002. And the commentary perfectly captured 00:17:55.730 --> 00:17:58.369 the moment's impossibility. Brian Butler's call. 00:17:58.569 --> 00:18:01.470 Yeah, the BBC radio call is famous. Turns like 00:18:01.470 --> 00:18:04.569 a little eel and comes away from trouble, leaves 00:18:04.569 --> 00:18:08.059 him for dead. And that is why Maradona is the 00:18:08.059 --> 00:18:10.480 greatest player in the world. Even the English 00:18:10.480 --> 00:18:12.839 striker Gary Lineker admitted he felt compelled 00:18:12.839 --> 00:18:15.960 to applaud. And the shirt he wore that day, the 00:18:15.960 --> 00:18:18.000 shirt of both the infamy and the brilliance, 00:18:18.119 --> 00:18:23.019 it sold for 7 .1 million pounds in 2022, a world 00:18:23.019 --> 00:18:25.339 record for sports memorabilia at the time. Because 00:18:25.339 --> 00:18:27.180 it represents the perfect collision of the two 00:18:27.180 --> 00:18:30.339 Maradonas. It led to L 'Equipe coining that phrase 00:18:30.339 --> 00:18:32.880 we mentioned, half angel, half devil. The game 00:18:32.880 --> 00:18:35.440 was a microcosm of his entire life. And he didn't 00:18:35.440 --> 00:18:37.539 even stop there. He just dominated the rest of 00:18:37.539 --> 00:18:39.259 the tournament. Oh, absolutely. He scored two 00:18:39.259 --> 00:18:40.920 more goals in the semifinal against Belgium, 00:18:41.039 --> 00:18:43.700 another virtuoso dribbling display. Then in the 00:18:43.700 --> 00:18:46.359 final against West Germany, the Germans, knowing 00:18:46.359 --> 00:18:48.119 they couldn't give him an inch, they assigned 00:18:48.119 --> 00:18:50.559 Lothar Matthäus to double mark him for the entire 00:18:50.559 --> 00:18:52.960 game. And he still won it for them, despite that 00:18:52.960 --> 00:18:56.000 constant physical attention in the 84th minute. 00:18:56.279 --> 00:18:59.119 He found just enough space to deliver the decisive 00:18:59.119 --> 00:19:02.440 winning pass to Jorge Burichaga for the 3 -2 00:19:02.440 --> 00:19:04.660 victory. If you look purely at the statistics 00:19:04.660 --> 00:19:07.039 for that one World Cup, the numbers are just 00:19:07.039 --> 00:19:09.619 staggering. They show his complete unilateral 00:19:09.619 --> 00:19:12.140 dominance. He attempted 90 dribbles in the tournament. 00:19:12.319 --> 00:19:14.319 I have three times more than any other player. 00:19:14.500 --> 00:19:17.319 Three times? That number alone is insane. It 00:19:17.319 --> 00:19:19.759 suggests he was engaging with the defense three 00:19:19.759 --> 00:19:22.079 times more often than any other attacking player 00:19:22.079 --> 00:19:25.940 on Earth. He was fouled a record 53 times, winning 00:19:25.940 --> 00:19:29.039 twice as many free kicks as anyone else. Overall, 00:19:29.460 --> 00:19:32.859 he was directly involved in 71 % of Argentina's 00:19:32.859 --> 00:19:35.279 14 goals. That's not just a great performance. 00:19:35.359 --> 00:19:37.720 That's literally carrying an entire team to a 00:19:37.720 --> 00:19:40.220 World Cup title. It's why he won the Golden Ball 00:19:40.220 --> 00:19:42.859 by a unanimous vote. Zinedine Zidane, who was 00:19:42.859 --> 00:19:45.339 watching as a 14 -year -old, later said Maradona 00:19:45.339 --> 00:19:48.019 was on another level. He didn't just win the 00:19:48.019 --> 00:19:51.740 trophy. He defined the entire era. So now that 00:19:51.740 --> 00:19:53.920 we've seen his greatest triumph, let's really 00:19:53.920 --> 00:19:56.720 analyze the mechanics of his genius. He wasn't 00:19:56.720 --> 00:19:59.680 the biggest guy on the field, 5 '5", so how did 00:19:59.680 --> 00:20:01.720 he physically and technically dominate world 00:20:01.720 --> 00:20:04.579 -class opponents? What defined that classic number 00:20:04.579 --> 00:20:07.559 10 profile? Well, his small stature was actually 00:20:07.559 --> 00:20:09.619 his tactical strength. He was the quintessential 00:20:09.619 --> 00:20:12.259 advanced playmaker, operating in a free role, 00:20:12.500 --> 00:20:14.819 usually as an attacking midfielder or a second 00:20:14.819 --> 00:20:17.880 striker. And his low center of gravity was the 00:20:17.880 --> 00:20:20.900 key physical advantage. It allowed him to maneuver 00:20:20.900 --> 00:20:24.099 with impossible speed and withstand intense physical 00:20:24.099 --> 00:20:27.099 pressure while running. with the ball. Defenders 00:20:27.099 --> 00:20:28.940 just couldn't knock him over without fouling 00:20:28.940 --> 00:20:31.740 him. The little eel comparison again. That ability 00:20:31.740 --> 00:20:34.700 to just twist out of pressure. Exactly. The low 00:20:34.700 --> 00:20:36.680 center of gravity combined with his technical 00:20:36.680 --> 00:20:39.319 wizardry meant he was incredibly balanced and 00:20:39.319 --> 00:20:42.279 agile. He was renowned for his vision, creativity, 00:20:42.720 --> 00:20:45.480 passing, and of course that unmatched close ball 00:20:45.480 --> 00:20:48.259 control and dribbling. Johan Cruyff, a legend 00:20:48.259 --> 00:20:50.680 himself, said that when Maradona ran, the ball 00:20:50.680 --> 00:20:52.759 seemed to be literally attached to his boot. 00:20:53.109 --> 00:20:55.250 He was a master at operating in tight spaces. 00:20:55.470 --> 00:20:58.190 And his leadership style, as his teammate Jorge 00:20:58.190 --> 00:21:01.089 Valdano described it, speaks to this unique emotional 00:21:01.089 --> 00:21:04.130 burden he carried for the whole team. Valdano's 00:21:04.130 --> 00:21:06.450 observation is maybe the deepest psychological 00:21:06.450 --> 00:21:09.549 insight we have into Maradona the player. He 00:21:09.549 --> 00:21:11.650 called him a technical leader, meaning he solved 00:21:11.650 --> 00:21:14.309 all the difficulties on the pitch. But more importantly, 00:21:14.450 --> 00:21:18.250 Valdano said Maradona absorbed all the pressures 00:21:18.250 --> 00:21:21.319 on behalf of his teammates. He said teammates 00:21:21.319 --> 00:21:24.779 slept soundly the night before a huge match because 00:21:24.779 --> 00:21:27.099 they knew Maradona would shoulder more of the 00:21:27.099 --> 00:21:31.089 burden, would be blamed more. That is fascinating. 00:21:31.309 --> 00:21:33.230 It suggests he was channeling the massive external 00:21:33.230 --> 00:21:36.210 pressure of an entire country onto himself, which 00:21:36.210 --> 00:21:38.430 allowed his teammates to just play freely. It's 00:21:38.430 --> 00:21:41.029 almost an emotional transaction rooted in that 00:21:41.029 --> 00:21:42.930 childhood where he had to be the one to carry 00:21:42.930 --> 00:21:45.910 everyone. That is the critical link. He was the 00:21:45.910 --> 00:21:47.769 only one who came from that level of poverty 00:21:47.769 --> 00:21:50.490 to reach that height. He felt that representative 00:21:50.490 --> 00:21:53.549 role so profoundly. And when he was on form, 00:21:53.750 --> 00:21:56.930 his work rate was also praised. The great coach, 00:21:57.029 --> 00:21:59.769 Arrigo Sagi, noted Maradona's commitment to tracking 00:21:59.769 --> 00:22:02.109 back when he had to. He also had those signature 00:22:02.109 --> 00:22:04.630 moves that really marked him as unique. Oh, yeah. 00:22:05.069 --> 00:22:07.829 Beyond the dribbling, he was famous for the rabona, 00:22:07.910 --> 00:22:10.430 that reverse cross pass struck behind the supporting 00:22:10.430 --> 00:22:13.410 leg, and the Maradona turn, which is basically 00:22:13.410 --> 00:22:17.289 a 360 -degree roulette feint. But the most significant 00:22:17.289 --> 00:22:20.349 technical trait was his extreme left foot dominance. 00:22:21.069 --> 00:22:23.170 He used his left foot constantly, even when the 00:22:23.170 --> 00:22:25.650 right foot might have been more practical, just 00:22:25.650 --> 00:22:27.849 because the precision and power were so unmatched. 00:22:28.029 --> 00:22:30.190 And he was one of the best dead ball specialists 00:22:30.190 --> 00:22:33.349 of all time. So this injured genius still manages 00:22:33.349 --> 00:22:36.109 to captain Argentina to the final again in 1990 00:22:36.109 --> 00:22:39.049 in Italy. But by this point, the physical decline 00:22:39.049 --> 00:22:41.410 was really undeniable. It was a real struggle. 00:22:41.529 --> 00:22:44.049 In the 1990 World Cup, he was battling a severe 00:22:44.049 --> 00:22:46.650 ankle injury that visibly limited his explosive 00:22:46.650 --> 00:22:49.349 speed and movement. They had an incredibly difficult 00:22:49.349 --> 00:22:52.299 path to the final. They barely beat Brazil thanks 00:22:52.299 --> 00:22:54.440 to a moment of brilliance from Maradona assisting 00:22:54.440 --> 00:22:57.240 Claudio Caniglia. Then came two grueling penalty 00:22:57.240 --> 00:22:59.519 shootouts against Yugoslavia where Maradona actually 00:22:59.519 --> 00:23:02.500 missed his kick and the emotionally charged semifinal 00:23:02.500 --> 00:23:04.599 against the host nation Italy where he converted 00:23:04.599 --> 00:23:06.880 his attempt. And the final against West Germany 00:23:06.880 --> 00:23:09.920 was deeply controversial ending in that bitter 00:23:09.920 --> 00:23:13.359 1 -0 loss. It was very contentious. Argentina 00:23:13.359 --> 00:23:16.160 lost in a very late, very controversial penalty 00:23:16.160 --> 00:23:19.980 awarded to Germany. Maradona was visibly distraught. 00:23:20.250 --> 00:23:22.930 weeping openly and blaming the referee for the 00:23:22.930 --> 00:23:25.609 loss, claiming it was unjust and politically 00:23:25.609 --> 00:23:28.410 motivated. The pressure on him had just become 00:23:28.410 --> 00:23:30.970 unbearable. The international career then ends 00:23:30.970 --> 00:23:33.690 so dramatically four years later at the 94 World 00:23:33.690 --> 00:23:36.109 Cup in the U .S. It was a shocking quick end. 00:23:36.230 --> 00:23:38.529 He looked rejuvenated in those first two games, 00:23:38.650 --> 00:23:40.609 even scored one last incredible international 00:23:40.609 --> 00:23:43.369 goal against Greece. The celebration that follows, 00:23:43.430 --> 00:23:45.710 shouting intensely, distorting his face right 00:23:45.710 --> 00:23:48.390 into a sideline camera. was this mixture of raw 00:23:48.390 --> 00:23:50.650 emotion and maybe a sign of the stimulants he 00:23:50.650 --> 00:23:52.589 was taking. And then came the ban for ephedrine 00:23:52.589 --> 00:23:55.789 doping. He was sent home immediately. The chemical 00:23:55.789 --> 00:23:58.609 was ephedrine, and Maradona's defense became 00:23:58.609 --> 00:24:00.650 part of his enduring controversial mythology. 00:24:01.329 --> 00:24:03.910 First, he claimed his trainer had unwittingly 00:24:03.910 --> 00:24:06.109 bought the U .S. version of an energy drink called 00:24:06.109 --> 00:24:08.710 Rip Fuel, which had the banned substance, unlike 00:24:08.710 --> 00:24:12.029 the Argentine version. And second, he claimed 00:24:12.029 --> 00:24:14.410 he had a secret agreement with FIFA. to use the 00:24:14.410 --> 00:24:16.549 drug for weight loss, which they then reneged 00:24:16.549 --> 00:24:20.029 on. Regardless of the truth, FIFA expelled him 00:24:20.029 --> 00:24:22.589 immediately, ending his 17 -year international 00:24:22.589 --> 00:24:25.349 career in shame and disappointment. And Argentina, 00:24:25.690 --> 00:24:27.769 without their leader, were eliminated right away, 00:24:27.950 --> 00:24:30.809 the angel silenced by the devil's choices. And 00:24:30.809 --> 00:24:32.710 Maradona's career after playing was almost as 00:24:32.710 --> 00:24:35.450 dramatic as his time on the pitch. But crucially, 00:24:35.609 --> 00:24:38.009 his genius as a player just never translated 00:24:38.009 --> 00:24:40.609 into success as a manager. His managerial life 00:24:40.609 --> 00:24:43.420 was all emotional fire and... Well, tactical 00:24:43.420 --> 00:24:45.000 failure. That's a crucial distinction. Let's 00:24:45.000 --> 00:24:46.799 start with his coaching efforts. He had a varied 00:24:46.799 --> 00:24:48.460 career, starting with a partnership in the early 00:24:48.460 --> 00:24:51.480 90s. Right, with Carlos Fren. His early jobs 00:24:51.480 --> 00:24:53.700 with the Portivo, Mandy U, and Racing Club had 00:24:53.700 --> 00:24:56.240 very little success. It showed that managerial 00:24:56.240 --> 00:24:58.240 skills are just a different beast from individual 00:24:58.240 --> 00:25:01.759 talent. But the real high -profile chaos began 00:25:01.759 --> 00:25:04.460 in 2008 when he took over the Argentina national 00:25:04.460 --> 00:25:07.529 team. That tenure was a spectacular train wreck 00:25:07.529 --> 00:25:09.769 that still somehow led them to a World Cup. It 00:25:09.769 --> 00:25:11.789 was purely reliant on individual talent. I mean, 00:25:11.809 --> 00:25:14.150 under his guidance, Argentina suffered a crushing 00:25:14.150 --> 00:25:16.829 6 -1 defeat to Bolivia, which equaled their worst 00:25:16.829 --> 00:25:19.250 ever loss. They barely scraped qualification 00:25:19.250 --> 00:25:21.950 for the 2010 World Cup. It really highlighted 00:25:21.950 --> 00:25:24.490 his weakness. He couldn't instill tactical discipline. 00:25:24.970 --> 00:25:27.190 And his reaction to the media after they qualified 00:25:27.190 --> 00:25:30.950 was classic Maradona lashing out with just incredible 00:25:30.950 --> 00:25:33.910 venom. It spoke to his lifetime pattern of dealing 00:25:33.910 --> 00:25:36.380 with pressure through aggression. He launched 00:25:36.380 --> 00:25:38.720 into this infamous abusive tirade against the 00:25:38.720 --> 00:25:41.440 press using language that got him a two -month 00:25:41.440 --> 00:25:43.519 ban from all footballing activity from FIFA. 00:25:43.759 --> 00:25:46.440 It was a clear sign that his personality, which 00:25:46.440 --> 00:25:48.779 absorbed all that pressure as a player, made 00:25:48.779 --> 00:25:50.700 him completely unsuitable for the diplomatic 00:25:50.700 --> 00:25:53.480 role of a national coach. At the 2010 World Cup, 00:25:53.680 --> 00:25:56.420 his team started well, but it ended in disaster 00:25:56.420 --> 00:25:58.599 against Germany in the quarterfinals. They were 00:25:58.599 --> 00:26:01.759 routed four near, a tactical humiliation that 00:26:01.759 --> 00:26:04.140 just exposed the team's total lack of defensive 00:26:04.140 --> 00:26:07.230 structure. And when the Argentine Football Association 00:26:07.230 --> 00:26:09.809 refused his demand to keep his entire support 00:26:09.809 --> 00:26:13.190 staff, he was effectively sacked. And he claimed 00:26:13.190 --> 00:26:16.089 betrayal. Of course. He claimed the AFA president 00:26:16.089 --> 00:26:19.589 had lied to and betrayed him, always positioning 00:26:19.589 --> 00:26:22.190 himself as the victim of institutional malice. 00:26:22.349 --> 00:26:25.170 He kept coaching after that in Dubai, the UAE, 00:26:25.269 --> 00:26:28.150 even Mexico with Dorados before his final post 00:26:28.150 --> 00:26:30.410 back in Argentina. Were any of these successful? 00:26:30.750 --> 00:26:33.470 They were fleeting at best. His tenures were 00:26:33.470 --> 00:26:35.430 always characterized by these emotional highs 00:26:35.430 --> 00:26:38.309 and intense connection with the fans, but a failure 00:26:38.309 --> 00:26:41.029 to deliver any sustained success. His personality 00:26:41.029 --> 00:26:43.950 generated massive media attention, but his coaching 00:26:43.950 --> 00:26:46.089 was just impulsive and reactive. And throughout 00:26:46.089 --> 00:26:48.309 this managerial chaos, he was fighting these 00:26:48.309 --> 00:26:51.089 constant, very visible health battles stemming 00:26:51.089 --> 00:26:53.170 from his addiction issues. The health struggles 00:26:53.170 --> 00:26:55.690 were devastating and very public. The cocaine 00:26:55.690 --> 00:26:57.829 addiction, which got really severe in Naples, 00:26:58.009 --> 00:27:02.000 continued until about 2004. But then... Different 00:27:02.000 --> 00:27:04.180 physical problems took over. The obesity, for 00:27:04.180 --> 00:27:06.400 instance. Yes. He suffered from severe obesity, 00:27:06.539 --> 00:27:09.759 at one point weighing 280 pounds or 130 kilograms. 00:27:10.259 --> 00:27:12.579 This forced him to have gastric bypass surgery 00:27:12.579 --> 00:27:17.140 in 2005. Later, in 2007, he was treated for hepatitis 00:27:17.140 --> 00:27:19.839 and the severe effects of alcohol abuse. Even 00:27:19.839 --> 00:27:22.380 his erratic behavior at the 2018 World Cup was 00:27:22.380 --> 00:27:24.400 later attributed by him to just drinking too 00:27:24.400 --> 00:27:27.160 much white wine. His life was a constant, exhausting 00:27:27.160 --> 00:27:29.460 battle against his own excesses. And beyond the 00:27:29.460 --> 00:27:31.759 internal struggles and the coaching, he remained 00:27:31.759 --> 00:27:33.920 maybe the most vocal and committed political 00:27:33.920 --> 00:27:37.160 firebrand in world sport, cultivating that man 00:27:37.160 --> 00:27:39.259 -of -the -people identity that was forged in 00:27:39.259 --> 00:27:42.119 Villa Fiorito. He was fiercely left wing. His 00:27:42.119 --> 00:27:44.720 ideological consistency is one of the most compelling 00:27:44.720 --> 00:27:47.680 parts of his later life. He was ferociously anti 00:27:47.680 --> 00:27:50.220 -imperialist. His friendships with Fidel Castro 00:27:50.220 --> 00:27:53.200 and Hugo Chavez were genuine, not just symbolic. 00:27:53.539 --> 00:27:56.019 He had Castro tattooed on his left leg and Che 00:27:56.019 --> 00:27:58.819 Guevara on his right arm. He even donated the 00:27:58.819 --> 00:28:01.619 royalties of his autobiography to the Cuban people 00:28:01.619 --> 00:28:04.750 and Fidel. How deep did that political involvement 00:28:04.750 --> 00:28:07.710 go? Was it just moral support or was he an active 00:28:07.710 --> 00:28:10.490 participant in protests? He was highly active. 00:28:10.569 --> 00:28:12.730 He took part in major protests against the Iraq 00:28:12.730 --> 00:28:15.410 war. And his most infamous political statement 00:28:15.410 --> 00:28:18.049 came during the 2005 Summit of the Americas in 00:28:18.049 --> 00:28:21.269 Argentina when George W. Bush was visiting. Maradona 00:28:21.269 --> 00:28:23.750 protested Bush's presence aggressively. He wore 00:28:23.750 --> 00:28:26.390 a shirt that said, Stop Bush, but with the S 00:28:26.390 --> 00:28:28.720 replaced by a swastika. And he used language 00:28:28.720 --> 00:28:31.039 against the U .S. president that very few public 00:28:31.039 --> 00:28:33.960 figures would ever dare to use. He publicly called 00:28:33.960 --> 00:28:37.240 the U .S. president human garbage and later told 00:28:37.240 --> 00:28:40.039 Hugo Chavez that he hated everything that comes 00:28:40.039 --> 00:28:43.160 from the United States. For Maradona, the U .S. 00:28:43.160 --> 00:28:46.039 was the establishment, the empire that he, the 00:28:46.039 --> 00:28:47.920 boy from the shantytown, had spent his whole 00:28:47.920 --> 00:28:50.319 life fighting. His political identity was just 00:28:50.319 --> 00:28:52.440 completely tied to his impoverished origins. 00:28:52.990 --> 00:28:55.150 He even challenged the most powerful religious 00:28:55.150 --> 00:28:58.190 institution in the world, the Vatican over wealth 00:28:58.190 --> 00:29:01.670 disparity. This is maybe the best example of 00:29:01.670 --> 00:29:04.089 his working class authenticity meeting power. 00:29:04.410 --> 00:29:07.210 He clashed with Pope John Paul II during a visit 00:29:07.210 --> 00:29:10.589 to the Vatican in 1987. Maradona said he challenged 00:29:10.589 --> 00:29:12.250 the pope directly over the Vatican's immense 00:29:12.250 --> 00:29:15.529 wealth. He said, I argued with him because I 00:29:15.529 --> 00:29:17.349 was in the Vatican and I saw all these golden 00:29:17.349 --> 00:29:19.349 ceilings and afterwards I heard the Pope say 00:29:19.349 --> 00:29:21.309 the church was worried about the welfare of poor 00:29:21.309 --> 00:29:23.990 kids. Sell your ceiling then, amigo. Do something. 00:29:24.369 --> 00:29:26.569 It's fascinating, though, that years later the 00:29:26.569 --> 00:29:28.809 sources say he found a degree of peace with the 00:29:28.809 --> 00:29:31.210 church under the new Argentine Pope, Pope Francis. 00:29:31.690 --> 00:29:33.970 How do you reconcile that? It's another classic 00:29:33.970 --> 00:29:36.390 Maradona contradiction. He could be simultaneously 00:29:36.390 --> 00:29:39.950 revolutionary and devout. He credited Pope Francis 00:29:39.950 --> 00:29:42.069 with inspiring a return to his Catholic faith. 00:29:42.559 --> 00:29:45.299 It suggests that while he fiercely rejected institutional 00:29:45.299 --> 00:29:48.140 hypocrisy, he was always looking for an authentic 00:29:48.140 --> 00:29:51.460 authority figure to follow or challenge. Francis, 00:29:51.539 --> 00:29:53.940 being Argentine and focused on poverty, seemed 00:29:53.940 --> 00:29:56.779 to fit his criteria. And one final detail that 00:29:56.779 --> 00:30:00.119 hounded him for years. That multi -million euro 00:30:00.119 --> 00:30:02.900 tax dispute in Italy from his time in Naples. 00:30:02.960 --> 00:30:05.559 That's right. For years, Italian officials pursued 00:30:05.559 --> 00:30:08.099 him, claiming he owed them 37 million in local 00:30:08.099 --> 00:30:11.140 taxes and interest. This legal battle added years 00:30:11.140 --> 00:30:13.880 of stress. But, and this is a crucial update, 00:30:14.119 --> 00:30:16.319 Italian courts ultimately cleared him of these 00:30:16.319 --> 00:30:20.079 accusations posthumously in January 2024. The 00:30:20.079 --> 00:30:22.019 long shadow of suspicion was finally lifted, 00:30:22.160 --> 00:30:24.720 but it plagued him for decades. His life was 00:30:24.720 --> 00:30:27.839 just a torrent of intensity and his end, tragically, 00:30:27.900 --> 00:30:30.779 was so swift, it highlights the immense physical 00:30:30.779 --> 00:30:33.420 toll his lifestyle had taken. So let's cover 00:30:33.420 --> 00:30:35.640 his final days and the immense global reaction 00:30:35.640 --> 00:30:39.220 to his passing. In November 2020, Maradona underwent 00:30:39.220 --> 00:30:41.640 emergency brain surgery for a subdural hematoma, 00:30:41.779 --> 00:30:44.980 a really serious condition. The surgery was successful 00:30:44.980 --> 00:30:48.119 and he was released to recover at home. But just 00:30:48.119 --> 00:30:50.920 weeks later, on November 25, 2020, at the age 00:30:50.920 --> 00:30:53.920 of 60, he suffered a fatal cardiac arrest in 00:30:53.920 --> 00:30:56.579 his sleep at his home in Buenos Aires. The outpouring 00:30:56.579 --> 00:30:59.859 of grief globally was on a scale you rarely see 00:30:59.859 --> 00:31:02.259 for any figure, let alone a sportsperson. The 00:31:02.259 --> 00:31:04.880 reaction was immediate and profound. Argentina 00:31:04.880 --> 00:31:07.579 declared three days of national mourning. His 00:31:07.579 --> 00:31:10.759 coffin, draped in the national flag, lay in state 00:31:10.759 --> 00:31:12.960 at the presidential palace. The sheer number 00:31:12.960 --> 00:31:15.000 of mourners who showed up was just overwhelming. 00:31:15.549 --> 00:31:17.970 tens of thousands. And the wake had to be cut 00:31:17.970 --> 00:31:20.589 short because heartbroken fans clashed with police 00:31:20.589 --> 00:31:23.630 as they tried to file past his coffin. He was 00:31:23.630 --> 00:31:25.329 eventually buried next to his parents in a private 00:31:25.329 --> 00:31:27.509 ceremony. The tributes from his peers and the 00:31:27.509 --> 00:31:29.690 institutions he served were ultimate and defining. 00:31:30.009 --> 00:31:32.829 Pele's tribute was so poignant. He said, I have 00:31:32.829 --> 00:31:34.990 lost a great friend and the world has lost a 00:31:34.990 --> 00:31:37.430 legend. One day I hope we can play football together 00:31:37.430 --> 00:31:40.869 in heaven. And in Italy, the city of Naples delivered 00:31:40.869 --> 00:31:44.380 the ultimate honor. Their home stadium, the Stadio 00:31:44.380 --> 00:31:47.400 San Paolo, was officially renamed Stadio Diego 00:31:47.400 --> 00:31:50.339 Armando Maradona. And the Napoli players, before 00:31:50.339 --> 00:31:53.660 their next match, all wore shirts that said Maradona 00:31:53.660 --> 00:31:56.099 10 on the back. And his influence reached so 00:31:56.099 --> 00:31:58.779 far beyond just football, demonstrating this 00:31:58.779 --> 00:32:00.819 true global cultural impact. Oh, absolutely. 00:32:01.039 --> 00:32:03.779 The Argentine Football Cup was renamed the Copa 00:32:03.779 --> 00:32:06.829 Diego Armando Maradona. Even the All Blacks rugby 00:32:06.829 --> 00:32:09.369 team performed a haka tribute using a Maradona 00:32:09.369 --> 00:32:12.210 No. 10 jersey. And of course, his spiritual successor, 00:32:12.430 --> 00:32:14.549 Lionel Messi, paid tribute when he scored for 00:32:14.549 --> 00:32:17.369 Barcelona by lifting his jersey to reveal a Newell's 00:32:17.369 --> 00:32:20.289 Old Boys shirt, one of Maradona's old clubs underneath. 00:32:20.569 --> 00:32:22.539 It was a beautiful moment. This immense legacy 00:32:22.539 --> 00:32:24.579 wasn't just about trophies. It was about cultural 00:32:24.579 --> 00:32:27.059 iconography. He achieved a level of deification 00:32:27.059 --> 00:32:29.720 that's almost unique in modern life. He really 00:32:29.720 --> 00:32:33.140 did. His common nickname, D10S, is a blend of 00:32:33.140 --> 00:32:35.599 his jersey number 10 and the Spanish word for 00:32:35.599 --> 00:32:38.759 God, Dios. That tells you everything. His old 00:32:38.759 --> 00:32:41.859 teammate, Jorge Valdano, offered this sociological 00:32:41.859 --> 00:32:44.200 explanation for his idolization in Argentina. 00:32:44.900 --> 00:32:47.359 He said Maradona was more than a footballer. 00:32:47.690 --> 00:32:50.390 He was a factor of collective frustration, compensation 00:32:50.390 --> 00:32:53.289 for a country that had endured dictatorships 00:32:53.289 --> 00:32:56.069 and economic collapse. He was the local boy who 00:32:56.069 --> 00:32:58.630 delivered miracles against all odds. And this 00:32:58.630 --> 00:33:02.869 deification led to the bizarre creation of the 00:33:02.869 --> 00:33:04.809 Church of Maradona. That's how deep the devotion 00:33:04.809 --> 00:33:07.349 went. It's a parody religion in Rosario, Argentina 00:33:07.349 --> 00:33:09.490 that reformulates Christian traditions around 00:33:09.490 --> 00:33:11.470 him. They celebrate Christmas on his birthday. 00:33:11.650 --> 00:33:13.970 It just shows that for millions, he transcended 00:33:13.970 --> 00:33:15.829 sport and entered the realm of the spiritual. 00:33:15.990 --> 00:33:17.890 Tragically, even his death brought controversy, 00:33:18.109 --> 00:33:20.650 sparking a lengthy legal aftermath that is still 00:33:20.650 --> 00:33:22.809 ongoing. Yeah, the contention surrounding his 00:33:22.809 --> 00:33:24.869 death ensured the chaos followed him even into 00:33:24.869 --> 00:33:27.690 the grave. Eight medical personnel involved in 00:33:27.690 --> 00:33:30.009 his care, including his physician and psychiatrist, 00:33:30.349 --> 00:33:32.710 were charged with criminal negligence and homicide. 00:33:33.130 --> 00:33:35.589 The accusation is that his death was preventable. 00:33:35.950 --> 00:33:39.069 And as of 2023, the Court of Appeals upheld the 00:33:39.069 --> 00:33:41.309 ruling that the eight medical staff must face 00:33:41.309 --> 00:33:44.410 trial for simple homicide with malice of forethought. 00:33:44.829 --> 00:33:47.390 The legal struggle ensures his complicated life 00:33:47.390 --> 00:33:49.910 remains embroiled in contention. So what does 00:33:49.910 --> 00:33:52.210 this all mean for us? When we step back and look 00:33:52.210 --> 00:33:54.710 at the life of Diego Maradona, the story is almost 00:33:54.710 --> 00:33:57.650 overwhelming in its sheer intensity. On one side, 00:33:57.710 --> 00:33:59.970 you have the unparalleled natural ability, the 00:33:59.970 --> 00:34:02.049 dribbling, the low center of gravity, the vision, 00:34:02.130 --> 00:34:04.309 the charisma. And on the other, the profound 00:34:04.309 --> 00:34:06.650 personal turmoil, the addiction, the violence, 00:34:06.769 --> 00:34:09.190 the defiance, and the outright ethical compromise 00:34:09.190 --> 00:34:12.630 at the hand of God. He was, indisputably, the 00:34:12.630 --> 00:34:15.110 half -angel, half -devil. But his legacy, it 00:34:15.110 --> 00:34:18.510 really transcends sport. He represents an enduring 00:34:18.510 --> 00:34:22.090 idea. As the sources show, he was the little 00:34:22.090 --> 00:34:24.269 guy from the impoverished shantytown who fought 00:34:24.269 --> 00:34:26.510 against the powerful system, whether that was 00:34:26.510 --> 00:34:28.610 the dominant North Italian clubs or the political 00:34:28.610 --> 00:34:31.829 structures he opposed, and through sheer will 00:34:31.829 --> 00:34:35.329 and genius, made miracles happen. And you mentioned 00:34:35.329 --> 00:34:37.510 earlier that his sheer force of talent actually 00:34:37.510 --> 00:34:40.039 changed the rules of the game itself. That's 00:34:40.039 --> 00:34:42.400 one of the most powerful key takeaways. The constant 00:34:42.400 --> 00:34:45.320 brutal targeting he endured, culminating in those 00:34:45.320 --> 00:34:47.139 career -threatening injuries like the one from 00:34:47.139 --> 00:34:49.980 The Butcher of Bilbao, it led directly to rule 00:34:49.980 --> 00:34:52.039 changes that better protect creative, skilled 00:34:52.039 --> 00:34:54.900 players on the field today. Modern stars who 00:34:54.900 --> 00:34:56.900 thrive on technical skill like Lionel Messi, 00:34:57.039 --> 00:34:58.719 they owe him a great deal because some of the 00:34:58.719 --> 00:35:00.900 challenges Maradona faced would simply never 00:35:00.900 --> 00:35:03.880 be allowed now. His genius forced football to 00:35:03.880 --> 00:35:06.300 evolve, to shield its artists from violence. 00:35:06.829 --> 00:35:09.309 That is a remarkable insight. He was a force 00:35:09.309 --> 00:35:11.769 of nature so great that the very mechanics of 00:35:11.769 --> 00:35:14.170 the game had to change to contain the violence 00:35:14.170 --> 00:35:16.929 directed at him. His life was defined by these 00:35:16.929 --> 00:35:18.929 moments that were either ethically questionable 00:35:18.929 --> 00:35:22.489 or miraculously brilliant. That is the crux of 00:35:22.489 --> 00:35:24.750 the debate, and it's the enduring fascination 00:35:24.750 --> 00:35:27.570 with Maradona. He showed us the impossible heights 00:35:27.570 --> 00:35:30.309 genius can reach and the profound depths human 00:35:30.309 --> 00:35:33.559 frailty can sink to. So here is our final provocative 00:35:33.559 --> 00:35:36.260 thought for you, the learner. Maradona's career 00:35:36.260 --> 00:35:38.539 teaches us that the greatest transformation often 00:35:38.539 --> 00:35:41.099 comes at the cost of the greatest internal conflict. 00:35:41.440 --> 00:35:43.519 When we consider the most transformative figures 00:35:43.519 --> 00:35:46.000 in history, whether in sport, art, or politics, 00:35:46.239 --> 00:35:49.139 must we ultimately accept the divine transformative 00:35:49.139 --> 00:35:52.579 talent and the destructive human flaws as inseparable 00:35:52.579 --> 00:35:56.059 necessary parts of the legend? Can we truly appreciate 00:35:56.059 --> 00:35:58.639 the goal of the century if we entirely separate 00:35:58.639 --> 00:36:01.099 it from the hand of God? That is something worth 00:36:01.099 --> 00:36:03.360 mulling over. A fitting question to close our 00:36:03.360 --> 00:36:05.440 deep dive on El Diego. Thank you for joining 00:36:05.440 --> 00:36:07.139 us on the deep dive. We'll see you next time.