Welcome to the Deep Dive, the place where we
cut through the noise and give you those essential
insights, those nuggets of brilliance that we
pull directly from the source material you share
with us. Today, we are tackling a figure whose
life story, I mean, it reads like a tragic opera
and a sporting fairy tale all rolled into one.
We're doing deep dive on Diego Armando Maradona.
And we are going so much further than just the
highlight reels. Because to understand Maradona,
you really have to understand this extreme, almost
irreconcilable duality. The sources we have paint
this picture of just wild swings from, you know,
the crushing poverty of a Buenos Aires shantytown
to the blinding light of global superstardom.
I'm in right back down again. Exactly. Into this
profound darkness of addiction, intense political
activism and just relentless personal turmoil.
This is a man who was, and rightly so, recognized
alongside Pele as a joint winner of the FIFA
Player of the 20th Century Award. He's a complete
paradox. And that's really what we're here to
unpack today. Absolutely. So our mission is to
take this, I mean, this massive stack of history
and mythology and really unpack the journey of
El Pib de Oro, the golden boy. We're going to
explore the absolute peak of his genius and,
of course, the undeniable depths of his struggles.
The goal is to not get lost in the sheer volume
of it all, but to come away with some meaningful,
memorable insights. And here is where it gets
really interesting for you, the learner. We're
going to zero in on those defining, almost mythological
moments of the 1986 World Cup, and we'll discuss
why he remains not just a sporting icon, but
this deeply polarizing, almost quasi -religious
figure across the globe. The narrative thread
tying it all together is that amazing description
from the French newspaper L 'Equipe. They called
him half angel, half devil. Half angel, half
devil. I love that. So we're going to explore
what happens when that kind of genius just collides
with reality. OK, so let's start this journey
by really setting the foundation. You absolutely
cannot understand Maradona, the man, the political
firebrand, the genius, without understanding
exactly where he came from. This was the ultimate
rags to riches story. It's the very core of his
identity. It's the core of his enduring appeal.
Diego Armando Maradona. was born in Llanos, the
province of Buenos Aires, back in October 1960.
His family was extremely poor. They had moved
from Corrientes province, which is in the northeast
of the country. Right. And he grew up in Villa
Fiorito, which was, and largely still is, a shanty
town. A slum, really, on the southern edge of
the capital. And the sources really emphasize
this part. His father, Diego Chitora Maradona,
worked at a chemicals factory. This was a deep,
real working class background, not some romanticized
version of poverty. Precisely. And his father
had indigenous Quarani and also Galician -Spanish
ancestry. And that identity, that marginalized
background, that indigenous root, it was something
Maradona aggressively asserted later in his life,
especially when he was challenged by the established
affluent European institutions. Football became
his only way out, his only viable path out of
that scarcity. And his relationship with the
game started almost before he could even walk,
right? Essentially, yeah. He got his first football
as a gift when he was three years old, and he
was completely devoted to it. The sheer force
of his natural talent was just impossible to
ignore. By the time he was eight, he was spotted
by a talent scout while playing for his local
neighborhood team, Esrella Roja. Just eight years
old? Eight. And that scout recommended him in
March 1969 to Los Cebolitas the Little Onions,
which was the junior team of a club called Argentinos
Juniors. And the story of Los Cebolitas isn't
just some nice little anecdote, is it? It's really
the formal beginning of the legend of Maradona
the Child Prodigy. It absolutely is. From 1973
to 1974 with Maradona as the... the engine of
the team, they went on this completely phenomenal
run. Get this, 141 undefeated games in a row.
Wow. Our sources confirm this is still regarded
as the best youth team run in the entire history
of Argentine football. They weren't just winning
youth tournaments, they were obliterating the
competition. And I love that story about his
youth coach, Francisco Cornejo. They literally
thought he was lying about his age. It just speaks
volumes about his maturity on the pitch, doesn't
it? Cornejo was so astonished by what he was
seeing that he actually demanded to see Maradona's
ID card. No way. Yeah. The belief was that no
eight -year -old could possibly possess that
level of skill and, you know, that understanding
of the game. The coach's quote on it is perfect.
He said, although he had the physique of a child,
he played like an adult. Once it confirmed his
age, they knew they had this unprecedented talent
on their hands and basically dedicated their
entire focus to nurturing him. And even as a
preteen, he was already an entertainer. He was
a ball boy during the first division games. And
during halftime, he'd go out and amuse the entire
stadium with these dazzling ball skills. He was
always magnetic, always drawn to that spotlight.
And that magnetism led directly to his professional
debut at an impossibly young age. October 20,
1976. just 10 days before his 16th birthday.
He became the youngest player in the history
of the Argentine Primera Division. And that first
touch, the symbolic moment he remembered for
the rest of his life, it just perfectly captures
his swagger and his genius. He pulls off a famous
nutmeg. Kicks the ball straight through the legs
of Juan Domingo Cabrera. An announcement. It
was a total announcement. I am here, and I play
by different rules. Maradona later recalled that
feeling, saying, that day I felt I had held the
sky in my hands. And Cabrera, the guy on the
receiving end, he confirmed the sheer audacity
of it. He said when he went to pressure the kid,
Maradona didn't give me a chance. He made the
nutmeg, and when I turned around, he was far
away from me. Huh. And then he scores his first
professional goals just two weeks later, right
after turning 16. So he spends five incredibly
productive years at Argentinos Juniors, really
cementing his reputation before that inevitable
move to a massive club. And when you say productive.
I mean extremely productive. Between 76 and 81,
he racks up 115 goals in 167 appearances. And
he wasn't just scoring. He was dominating the
entire domestic scene. He won the league's top
scorer award for four straight tournaments, the
Metropolitano and national titles in both 1979
and 1980. With that kind of record, it's actually
surprising he stayed there for five years. Why
the move to Boca Juniors in 1981? Was it just
about stepping up or was his celebrity already
demanding a bigger stage? It was a mix of both,
really, and a bit of defiance. He had huge offers
on the table, most notably from River Plate,
Boca's biggest rivals. They were willing to make
him their best paid player. But he chose Boca.
He chose Boca Juniors. River Plate, ironically,
dropped their bid because of their own financial
issues. But Maradona chose the club of the people.
He signed in February 81 and immediately scored
twice on his debut. And it was at Boca that he
got his only Argentine domestic league title.
Correct. The 1981 Metropolitano title. And despite
winning, his relationship with the manager, Silvio
Marzolini, was apparently pretty distrustful.
But Maradona's presence was enough. It was a
brief but really important final chapter in Argentina.
He had conquered his home country. Now the world
was calling. The move to Europe. This begins
a trend that just defined his entire life. Wherever
he went, he set records. And wherever he went,
he also created this spectacular level of chaos
and drama. That's the duality right there coming
straight into play. I mean, just look at the
financial impact alone. Maradona was the first
player in history to break the world record transfer
feat, not just once. But twice. But twice, within
two years. That tells you the market recognized
his generational genius, but maybe didn't fully
anticipate the... emotional baggage that came
along with it twice okay so break down those
record moves for us so in 1982 right after the
world cup he transfers to fc barcelona in spain
the fee was a world record at the time five million
which was around 7 .6 million dollars then just
two years later in 1984 he breaks his own record
he moves to napoli and italy for 6 .9 million
or about ten point four eight million dollars
to dominate the global market like that while
still so young. I mean, that tells you everything
about how he was valued. It's incredible. So
let's focus on that first European experience
in Barcelona. It was only two seasons, just a
brief flash, but it was just marred by incredibly
bad luck and in the end, violence that. basically
forced him out. Yeah, his time at Barcelona from
82 to 84 was just defined by volatility. Under
the coach Cesar Luis Minotti, he did have significant
success. He helped the club win the Copa del
Rey and the Copa de la Liga. Both against Real
Madrid. Both against their arch rivals, Real
Madrid. And there's that moment where he was
applauded by the Real Madrid fans at the Santiago
Bernabeu. That's a legendary sign of respect.
It just speaks to the sheer quality of his play.
In the 83 Copa de la Liga finals, he scored this
brilliant, iconic goal. He dribbled past the
keeper, and then he paused. Right. He just paused
for a split second as a defender was sliding
into block, let the defender crash into the post,
and then he just casually slotted the ball into
the empty net. So cheeky. And he became the first
Barcelona player to ever get an ovation from
the Real Madrid fans in their own stadium for
scoring against him. Only Ronaldinho and Andres
Iniesta have managed to do that since. But almost
immediately, the setbacks start, and they were
devastating. Yeah. He suffered a really bad bout
of hepatitis, which sidelined him for a good
while. But far, far worse was the tackle in September
1983. It was from athletic Bilbao's notoriously
aggressive defender, Andoni Goikoetsaya, who
will forever be known as the Butcher of Bilbao.
That tackle was career -threatening, wasn't it?
Absolutely. Gojkovic broke Maradona's ankle.
He was out for three months. And psychologically,
I think that injury left a deep mark. He felt
unprotected by referees, felt he was being targeted
by defenders who knew the only way to stop him
was through brutality. And Gojkovic kept the
boot he used as a trophy. In a glass cabinet
at home. He kept the boot he used to break Maradona's
ankle. Unbelievable. And that level of open brutality
leads directly to his final explosive exit, the
mass brawl in the 1984 Copa del Rey final again
against Athletic Bilbao. What does that incident
tell us about his inability to just contain his
own rage? It tells you that the genius and the
rage were. Completely inseparable. The sources
confirmed that after they lost one narrow, Maradona
was being subjected to intense taunts, including
racist insults about his father's Native American
ancestry. And when one of the Bilbao players
provoked him right at full time, Maradona just,
he just snapped. He headbutted him, elbowed another
player, needed a third one, knocked him unconscious.
He started a 60 -person riot on the field in
front of King Juan Carlos and millions watching
on TV. 60 people were injured. The club just
realized he was ungovernable. A Barcelona executive
said that after seeing that fight, they knew
they couldn't continue with him. So despite scoring
38 goals in 58 games across those two injury
-plagued seasons, his temper just sealed the
deal. He was gone, immediately transferred to
Italy. So he leaves Spanish chaos for Italian
mania. He arrives in Naples, and the reception
is, it's mythical. 75 ,000 fans greet him at
the stadium. Why did the city of Naples embrace
him with such like messianic zeal? This is more
than a sports signing. It was a socioeconomic
and cultural phenomenon. Italian football in
the 80s was just utterly dominated by the rich
industrial northern teams. Juventus, AC Milan,
Inter Milan. Naples and southern Italy were seen
as poor, marginalized, struggling. And Maradona,
the working class kid from the shantytown who
defied authority, he became their symbol against
the powerful north. So he was a cultural champion
for the oppressed before he even kicked the ball
for them. Exactly. A sports writer, David Goldblatt,
noted that the Neapolitans were convinced that
the Savior had arrived. The level of hope was
almost paralyzing. A local paper joked that the
city could be missing a mayor, houses, schools,
buses, whatever. Didn't matter. It didn't matter
because we have Maradona. He just instantly connected
with the city's entire identity. And he delivered.
I mean, he elevated Napoli to their most successful
period ever, making them genuine rivals to that
northern elite. He was absolutely instrumental.
He captained them and led them to their first
ever Serie A championship in the 86 -87 season.
They defied all expectations. And then they did
it again. They won the title again in 89 -90.
On top of that, they won the Coppa Italia, the
Supercoppa Italiana, where they crushed Juventus
5 -1 and, crucially, the UEFA Cup. That gave
them European recognition. He even topped the
Serie A scoring charts in 87 -88. I read about
the celebrations after that first league title.
They were just unprecedented in Italian sport.
They were described as tumultuous. They went
on for over a week. Sources talk about fans holding
elaborate mock funerals for the rival northern
clubs, Juventus and Milan, burning their coffins.
Issuing death notices. Exactly. Issuing death
notices, proclaiming, May 1987, the other Italy
has been defeated. A new empire is born. The
adoration was so intense that newborns were literally
named in his honor. He was their king. Untouchable.
the living embodiment of their pride. But true
to form, the shadows start to creep in. The pressure
cooker of Naples, combined with his own demons,
it brought about his downfall in Italy. The intense
spotlight, the constant cultural war between
North and South. It just proved to be too much.
His personal problems accelerated dramatically,
particularly the cocaine use that had started
back in Barcelona. In Naples, it became a severe,
severe addiction. The club started fining him
heavily, like $70 ,000 for missing games and
practices. But the problem was just spiraling
out of control. And then came the deeply concerning
allegations involving organized crime. Yes, he
faced intense suspicion over an alleged friendship
with the Camorra, the Neapolitan mafia. Now,
the sources generally indicate that the relationship
was based on the Camorra using him for prestige.
Right. Providing him with drugs, protection,
organizing parties. rather than him being some
kind of active operative. But the association
was devastating for his reputation and put him
under constant police surveillance. He was a
cash cow and a high -profile target in a very
corrupt city. And the ultimate betrayal, at least
in the eyes of many Italians, came after the
1990 World Cup semifinal, which was held in Naples
itself. That moment was the turning point. Maradona
pleaded with the Neapolitan fans to support Argentina,
the underdog, against the rest of Italy. When
Argentina won, the backlash in Italy and even
among some Neapolitans was intense. He was harassed,
his movement scrutinized. The city that had once
protected him turned on him. His eventual departure
in 1992, after a 15 -month ban for testing positive
for cocaine, was done in disgrace. A devastating
end to his most glorious chapter. Okay, so if
his club career was this spectacular series of
peaks and valleys, his performance in the 1986
World Cup in Mexico was a singular mountain peak.
It was the highest point he ever reached. A moment
of pure, unified genius and defiance. It absolutely
was. He captained Argentina to victory, and statistically
and emotionally, he was the tournament. He played
every single minute of every single game, scored
five goals, and delivered five. assists. He asserted
his dominance from the very start. But the whole
tournament is really remembered for one single
game. The quarterfinal against England played
under incredible political tension because of
the recent Falklands War. Oh, absolutely. The
conflict was still raw. And for Argentinians,
this wasn't just football. It was a chance for
a symbolic victory. And within four minutes in
the second half, Maradona gave the world the
two goals that perfectly defined his entire complex
character. First, the infamous moment. The hand
of God. A flagrant handling foul. He leaped up
with the much taller English keeper, Peter Shilton,
but instead of using his head, he just clearly
punches the ball into the net. And the ref missed
it. The referee, Ali Ben -Assur, completely missed
it. The goal stood. And his initial explanation,
a little with the head of Maradona and a little
with the hand of God, it's just iconic for its
sheer coy arrogance. It is. But years later,
he was completely honest about it. He admitted
it was intentional, that he made no head contact
at all. He knew immediately it was illegitimate.
For the English, our sources note the righteous
wrath the players felt. But for Argentina, this
act was immediately romanticized. We hear the
phrase viveza criolla. Can you explain what that
cultural concept means and why it made the hand
of God so powerful for them? That is such a crucial
cultural nugget. The Vesa Criolla literally translates
to Criollo cunning or native smarts. It describes
a type of street smart, sometimes ethically questionable
intelligence that allows the little guy, the
underdog, to outsmart the system, to outsmart
the powerful. It's a tool for defiance. A tool
for survival and defiance. And in the context
of the Falklands War and historical European
dominance, the hand of God wasn't seen as cheating.
It was interpreted as a brilliant, defiant act
of street justice against the perceived arrogance
of the English establishment. Maradon himself
said in his autobiography, we knew they had killed
a lot of Argentine boys there, and this was revenge.
It was cultural and political vindication delivered
by cunning. So that was the devil. But just four
minutes later, we see the angel, the purest expression
of footballing majesty, the goal of the century.
It was pure, unadulterated genius. Maradona gets
the ball in his own half, spins around, and just
begins this almost impossible 60 -meter 11 -touch
run. He systematically eliminates five English
outfield players, Beardsley, Hodge, Reed, Butcher,
Fenwick, before fainting past the legendary Peter
Shilton and just sliding it home. Watching the
replay, it looks like a glitch in a video game.
The speed, the control, the changes of direction.
It's just, it defies physics. It really does.
FIFA .com voters later confirmed its status,
voting it the greatest goal in World Cup history
in 2002. And the commentary perfectly captured
the moment's impossibility. Brian Butler's call.
Yeah, the BBC radio call is famous. Turns like
a little eel and comes away from trouble, leaves
him for dead. And that is why Maradona is the
greatest player in the world. Even the English
striker Gary Lineker admitted he felt compelled
to applaud. And the shirt he wore that day, the
shirt of both the infamy and the brilliance,
it sold for 7 .1 million pounds in 2022, a world
record for sports memorabilia at the time. Because
it represents the perfect collision of the two
Maradonas. It led to L 'Equipe coining that phrase
we mentioned, half angel, half devil. The game
was a microcosm of his entire life. And he didn't
even stop there. He just dominated the rest of
the tournament. Oh, absolutely. He scored two
more goals in the semifinal against Belgium,
another virtuoso dribbling display. Then in the
final against West Germany, the Germans, knowing
they couldn't give him an inch, they assigned
Lothar Matthäus to double mark him for the entire
game. And he still won it for them, despite that
constant physical attention in the 84th minute.
He found just enough space to deliver the decisive
winning pass to Jorge Burichaga for the 3 -2
victory. If you look purely at the statistics
for that one World Cup, the numbers are just
staggering. They show his complete unilateral
dominance. He attempted 90 dribbles in the tournament.
I have three times more than any other player.
Three times? That number alone is insane. It
suggests he was engaging with the defense three
times more often than any other attacking player
on Earth. He was fouled a record 53 times, winning
twice as many free kicks as anyone else. Overall,
he was directly involved in 71 % of Argentina's
14 goals. That's not just a great performance.
That's literally carrying an entire team to a
World Cup title. It's why he won the Golden Ball
by a unanimous vote. Zinedine Zidane, who was
watching as a 14 -year -old, later said Maradona
was on another level. He didn't just win the
trophy. He defined the entire era. So now that
we've seen his greatest triumph, let's really
analyze the mechanics of his genius. He wasn't
the biggest guy on the field, 5 '5", so how did
he physically and technically dominate world
-class opponents? What defined that classic number
10 profile? Well, his small stature was actually
his tactical strength. He was the quintessential
advanced playmaker, operating in a free role,
usually as an attacking midfielder or a second
striker. And his low center of gravity was the
key physical advantage. It allowed him to maneuver
with impossible speed and withstand intense physical
pressure while running. with the ball. Defenders
just couldn't knock him over without fouling
him. The little eel comparison again. That ability
to just twist out of pressure. Exactly. The low
center of gravity combined with his technical
wizardry meant he was incredibly balanced and
agile. He was renowned for his vision, creativity,
passing, and of course that unmatched close ball
control and dribbling. Johan Cruyff, a legend
himself, said that when Maradona ran, the ball
seemed to be literally attached to his boot.
He was a master at operating in tight spaces.
And his leadership style, as his teammate Jorge
Valdano described it, speaks to this unique emotional
burden he carried for the whole team. Valdano's
observation is maybe the deepest psychological
insight we have into Maradona the player. He
called him a technical leader, meaning he solved
all the difficulties on the pitch. But more importantly,
Valdano said Maradona absorbed all the pressures
on behalf of his teammates. He said teammates
slept soundly the night before a huge match because
they knew Maradona would shoulder more of the
burden, would be blamed more. That is fascinating.
It suggests he was channeling the massive external
pressure of an entire country onto himself, which
allowed his teammates to just play freely. It's
almost an emotional transaction rooted in that
childhood where he had to be the one to carry
everyone. That is the critical link. He was the
only one who came from that level of poverty
to reach that height. He felt that representative
role so profoundly. And when he was on form,
his work rate was also praised. The great coach,
Arrigo Sagi, noted Maradona's commitment to tracking
back when he had to. He also had those signature
moves that really marked him as unique. Oh, yeah.
Beyond the dribbling, he was famous for the rabona,
that reverse cross pass struck behind the supporting
leg, and the Maradona turn, which is basically
a 360 -degree roulette feint. But the most significant
technical trait was his extreme left foot dominance.
He used his left foot constantly, even when the
right foot might have been more practical, just
because the precision and power were so unmatched.
And he was one of the best dead ball specialists
of all time. So this injured genius still manages
to captain Argentina to the final again in 1990
in Italy. But by this point, the physical decline
was really undeniable. It was a real struggle.
In the 1990 World Cup, he was battling a severe
ankle injury that visibly limited his explosive
speed and movement. They had an incredibly difficult
path to the final. They barely beat Brazil thanks
to a moment of brilliance from Maradona assisting
Claudio Caniglia. Then came two grueling penalty
shootouts against Yugoslavia where Maradona actually
missed his kick and the emotionally charged semifinal
against the host nation Italy where he converted
his attempt. And the final against West Germany
was deeply controversial ending in that bitter
1 -0 loss. It was very contentious. Argentina
lost in a very late, very controversial penalty
awarded to Germany. Maradona was visibly distraught.
weeping openly and blaming the referee for the
loss, claiming it was unjust and politically
motivated. The pressure on him had just become
unbearable. The international career then ends
so dramatically four years later at the 94 World
Cup in the U .S. It was a shocking quick end.
He looked rejuvenated in those first two games,
even scored one last incredible international
goal against Greece. The celebration that follows,
shouting intensely, distorting his face right
into a sideline camera. was this mixture of raw
emotion and maybe a sign of the stimulants he
was taking. And then came the ban for ephedrine
doping. He was sent home immediately. The chemical
was ephedrine, and Maradona's defense became
part of his enduring controversial mythology.
First, he claimed his trainer had unwittingly
bought the U .S. version of an energy drink called
Rip Fuel, which had the banned substance, unlike
the Argentine version. And second, he claimed
he had a secret agreement with FIFA. to use the
drug for weight loss, which they then reneged
on. Regardless of the truth, FIFA expelled him
immediately, ending his 17 -year international
career in shame and disappointment. And Argentina,
without their leader, were eliminated right away,
the angel silenced by the devil's choices. And
Maradona's career after playing was almost as
dramatic as his time on the pitch. But crucially,
his genius as a player just never translated
into success as a manager. His managerial life
was all emotional fire and... Well, tactical
failure. That's a crucial distinction. Let's
start with his coaching efforts. He had a varied
career, starting with a partnership in the early
90s. Right, with Carlos Fren. His early jobs
with the Portivo, Mandy U, and Racing Club had
very little success. It showed that managerial
skills are just a different beast from individual
talent. But the real high -profile chaos began
in 2008 when he took over the Argentina national
team. That tenure was a spectacular train wreck
that still somehow led them to a World Cup. It
was purely reliant on individual talent. I mean,
under his guidance, Argentina suffered a crushing
6 -1 defeat to Bolivia, which equaled their worst
ever loss. They barely scraped qualification
for the 2010 World Cup. It really highlighted
his weakness. He couldn't instill tactical discipline.
And his reaction to the media after they qualified
was classic Maradona lashing out with just incredible
venom. It spoke to his lifetime pattern of dealing
with pressure through aggression. He launched
into this infamous abusive tirade against the
press using language that got him a two -month
ban from all footballing activity from FIFA.
It was a clear sign that his personality, which
absorbed all that pressure as a player, made
him completely unsuitable for the diplomatic
role of a national coach. At the 2010 World Cup,
his team started well, but it ended in disaster
against Germany in the quarterfinals. They were
routed four near, a tactical humiliation that
just exposed the team's total lack of defensive
structure. And when the Argentine Football Association
refused his demand to keep his entire support
staff, he was effectively sacked. And he claimed
betrayal. Of course. He claimed the AFA president
had lied to and betrayed him, always positioning
himself as the victim of institutional malice.
He kept coaching after that in Dubai, the UAE,
even Mexico with Dorados before his final post
back in Argentina. Were any of these successful?
They were fleeting at best. His tenures were
always characterized by these emotional highs
and intense connection with the fans, but a failure
to deliver any sustained success. His personality
generated massive media attention, but his coaching
was just impulsive and reactive. And throughout
this managerial chaos, he was fighting these
constant, very visible health battles stemming
from his addiction issues. The health struggles
were devastating and very public. The cocaine
addiction, which got really severe in Naples,
continued until about 2004. But then... Different
physical problems took over. The obesity, for
instance. Yes. He suffered from severe obesity,
at one point weighing 280 pounds or 130 kilograms.
This forced him to have gastric bypass surgery
in 2005. Later, in 2007, he was treated for hepatitis
and the severe effects of alcohol abuse. Even
his erratic behavior at the 2018 World Cup was
later attributed by him to just drinking too
much white wine. His life was a constant, exhausting
battle against his own excesses. And beyond the
internal struggles and the coaching, he remained
maybe the most vocal and committed political
firebrand in world sport, cultivating that man
-of -the -people identity that was forged in
Villa Fiorito. He was fiercely left wing. His
ideological consistency is one of the most compelling
parts of his later life. He was ferociously anti
-imperialist. His friendships with Fidel Castro
and Hugo Chavez were genuine, not just symbolic.
He had Castro tattooed on his left leg and Che
Guevara on his right arm. He even donated the
royalties of his autobiography to the Cuban people
and Fidel. How deep did that political involvement
go? Was it just moral support or was he an active
participant in protests? He was highly active.
He took part in major protests against the Iraq
war. And his most infamous political statement
came during the 2005 Summit of the Americas in
Argentina when George W. Bush was visiting. Maradona
protested Bush's presence aggressively. He wore
a shirt that said, Stop Bush, but with the S
replaced by a swastika. And he used language
against the U .S. president that very few public
figures would ever dare to use. He publicly called
the U .S. president human garbage and later told
Hugo Chavez that he hated everything that comes
from the United States. For Maradona, the U .S.
was the establishment, the empire that he, the
boy from the shantytown, had spent his whole
life fighting. His political identity was just
completely tied to his impoverished origins.
He even challenged the most powerful religious
institution in the world, the Vatican over wealth
disparity. This is maybe the best example of
his working class authenticity meeting power.
He clashed with Pope John Paul II during a visit
to the Vatican in 1987. Maradona said he challenged
the pope directly over the Vatican's immense
wealth. He said, I argued with him because I
was in the Vatican and I saw all these golden
ceilings and afterwards I heard the Pope say
the church was worried about the welfare of poor
kids. Sell your ceiling then, amigo. Do something.
It's fascinating, though, that years later the
sources say he found a degree of peace with the
church under the new Argentine Pope, Pope Francis.
How do you reconcile that? It's another classic
Maradona contradiction. He could be simultaneously
revolutionary and devout. He credited Pope Francis
with inspiring a return to his Catholic faith.
It suggests that while he fiercely rejected institutional
hypocrisy, he was always looking for an authentic
authority figure to follow or challenge. Francis,
being Argentine and focused on poverty, seemed
to fit his criteria. And one final detail that
hounded him for years. That multi -million euro
tax dispute in Italy from his time in Naples.
That's right. For years, Italian officials pursued
him, claiming he owed them 37 million in local
taxes and interest. This legal battle added years
of stress. But, and this is a crucial update,
Italian courts ultimately cleared him of these
accusations posthumously in January 2024. The
long shadow of suspicion was finally lifted,
but it plagued him for decades. His life was
just a torrent of intensity and his end, tragically,
was so swift, it highlights the immense physical
toll his lifestyle had taken. So let's cover
his final days and the immense global reaction
to his passing. In November 2020, Maradona underwent
emergency brain surgery for a subdural hematoma,
a really serious condition. The surgery was successful
and he was released to recover at home. But just
weeks later, on November 25, 2020, at the age
of 60, he suffered a fatal cardiac arrest in
his sleep at his home in Buenos Aires. The outpouring
of grief globally was on a scale you rarely see
for any figure, let alone a sportsperson. The
reaction was immediate and profound. Argentina
declared three days of national mourning. His
coffin, draped in the national flag, lay in state
at the presidential palace. The sheer number
of mourners who showed up was just overwhelming.
tens of thousands. And the wake had to be cut
short because heartbroken fans clashed with police
as they tried to file past his coffin. He was
eventually buried next to his parents in a private
ceremony. The tributes from his peers and the
institutions he served were ultimate and defining.
Pele's tribute was so poignant. He said, I have
lost a great friend and the world has lost a
legend. One day I hope we can play football together
in heaven. And in Italy, the city of Naples delivered
the ultimate honor. Their home stadium, the Stadio
San Paolo, was officially renamed Stadio Diego
Armando Maradona. And the Napoli players, before
their next match, all wore shirts that said Maradona
10 on the back. And his influence reached so
far beyond just football, demonstrating this
true global cultural impact. Oh, absolutely.
The Argentine Football Cup was renamed the Copa
Diego Armando Maradona. Even the All Blacks rugby
team performed a haka tribute using a Maradona
No. 10 jersey. And of course, his spiritual successor,
Lionel Messi, paid tribute when he scored for
Barcelona by lifting his jersey to reveal a Newell's
Old Boys shirt, one of Maradona's old clubs underneath.
It was a beautiful moment. This immense legacy
wasn't just about trophies. It was about cultural
iconography. He achieved a level of deification
that's almost unique in modern life. He really
did. His common nickname, D10S, is a blend of
his jersey number 10 and the Spanish word for
God, Dios. That tells you everything. His old
teammate, Jorge Valdano, offered this sociological
explanation for his idolization in Argentina.
He said Maradona was more than a footballer.
He was a factor of collective frustration, compensation
for a country that had endured dictatorships
and economic collapse. He was the local boy who
delivered miracles against all odds. And this
deification led to the bizarre creation of the
Church of Maradona. That's how deep the devotion
went. It's a parody religion in Rosario, Argentina
that reformulates Christian traditions around
him. They celebrate Christmas on his birthday.
It just shows that for millions, he transcended
sport and entered the realm of the spiritual.
Tragically, even his death brought controversy,
sparking a lengthy legal aftermath that is still
ongoing. Yeah, the contention surrounding his
death ensured the chaos followed him even into
the grave. Eight medical personnel involved in
his care, including his physician and psychiatrist,
were charged with criminal negligence and homicide.
The accusation is that his death was preventable.
And as of 2023, the Court of Appeals upheld the
ruling that the eight medical staff must face
trial for simple homicide with malice of forethought.
The legal struggle ensures his complicated life
remains embroiled in contention. So what does
this all mean for us? When we step back and look
at the life of Diego Maradona, the story is almost
overwhelming in its sheer intensity. On one side,
you have the unparalleled natural ability, the
dribbling, the low center of gravity, the vision,
the charisma. And on the other, the profound
personal turmoil, the addiction, the violence,
the defiance, and the outright ethical compromise
at the hand of God. He was, indisputably, the
half -angel, half -devil. But his legacy, it
really transcends sport. He represents an enduring
idea. As the sources show, he was the little
guy from the impoverished shantytown who fought
against the powerful system, whether that was
the dominant North Italian clubs or the political
structures he opposed, and through sheer will
and genius, made miracles happen. And you mentioned
earlier that his sheer force of talent actually
changed the rules of the game itself. That's
one of the most powerful key takeaways. The constant
brutal targeting he endured, culminating in those
career -threatening injuries like the one from
The Butcher of Bilbao, it led directly to rule
changes that better protect creative, skilled
players on the field today. Modern stars who
thrive on technical skill like Lionel Messi,
they owe him a great deal because some of the
challenges Maradona faced would simply never
be allowed now. His genius forced football to
evolve, to shield its artists from violence.
That is a remarkable insight. He was a force
of nature so great that the very mechanics of
the game had to change to contain the violence
directed at him. His life was defined by these
moments that were either ethically questionable
or miraculously brilliant. That is the crux of
the debate, and it's the enduring fascination
with Maradona. He showed us the impossible heights
genius can reach and the profound depths human
frailty can sink to. So here is our final provocative
thought for you, the learner. Maradona's career
teaches us that the greatest transformation often
comes at the cost of the greatest internal conflict.
When we consider the most transformative figures
in history, whether in sport, art, or politics,
must we ultimately accept the divine transformative
talent and the destructive human flaws as inseparable
necessary parts of the legend? Can we truly appreciate
the goal of the century if we entirely separate
it from the hand of God? That is something worth
mulling over. A fitting question to close our
deep dive on El Diego. Thank you for joining
us on the deep dive. We'll see you next time.