Diego Maradona, who earned his name in football legends because of “Hand of God” in the quarter-finals against England in the World Cup 1986.
One of the world’s greatest football players, Diego Maradona, the hero of Argentina’s victory in the 1986 World Cup, died on Wednesday. Maradona- 60, counted among the world’s best footballers wearing a number ten jersey. FIFA had named him one of the two greatest players in the history of the game with Pelé of Brazil in 2001. He was discharged from the hospital after a brain operation two weeks earlier. For a long time, he was struggling with cocaine addiction and obesity.
A three-day national mourning has been announced in Argentina. The news of his death has triggered a wave of mourning among football enthusiasts across the world. Fans are taking it to social media to pay a tribute to him.
Diego Maradona, who earned his name in football legends because of “Hand of God” in the quarter-finals against England in the World Cup 1986, was a sight for football enthusiasts in his career spanning over two decades. Diego Maradona admitted years later that he had deliberately hit the ball. However, after four minutes in the same match, he scored a magnificent goal which FIFA called the greatest goal in the history of the World Cup.
Argentina called the victory revenge for the defeat at the hands of Britain in the 1982 war. Maradona wrote in his 2000 autobiography I Am Diego, “He was more than just trying to win the match. We said that this match has nothing to do with the war, but we knew that the Argentinians had lost their lives there. This was our revenge. We were playing for our country and it was something bigger than us.”
Maradona remained a ‘golden boy’ for football fans. The magic of Maradona’s feet, daring, sharp, and always doing something beyond the imagination, was seen by the entire world on the football field. His speciality was to break the opposing defence and score with the left foot. Salvatore Bagani, who played for the Italian club Napoli with Diego Maradona, said, “He used to think everything in mind and show him the truth on the ground with his feet”.
He was hospitalized in 2000 and 2004 due to heart disease. His health continued to decline due to drug addiction. He was hospitalized in 2007 due to hepatitis. He made his return to football in 2008 as coach of Argentina but lost out on the team from the quarter-finals of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. He was also the coach of the United Arab Emirates club.
Maradona 'Hand of God' Goal 1986 World Cup#Argentina #GOAT #RIPMARADONA#RIPDIEGOMARADONA pic.twitter.com/inqpy32ctD
— Siddhant Anand (@JournoSiddhant) November 25, 2020
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