On 20 October 1976, Maradona made his professional debut for Argentinos Juniors, ten days before his sixteenth birthday.[26] He entered to the pitch wearing the #16 jersey to replace Rubén Giacobetti. After the game, Maradona stated: "That day I felt I had held the sky in my hands".[27] Maradona scored his first goal in the Primera División against Marplatense team San Lorenzo on 14 November 1976, two weeks after turning 16.[28]
Maradona spent five years at Argentinos Juniors, from 1976 to 1981, scoring 115 goals in 167 appearances before his US$ 4 million transfer to Boca Juniors.[29] Maradona received offers to join other clubs, including River Plate who offered to make him the club's best paid player.[30] Nevertheless, Maradona expressed his will to be transferred to Boca Juniors, the team he always wanted to play for.[31]
Maradona signed a contract with Boca Juniors on 20 February 1981. He made his debut two days later against Talleres de Córdoba, scoring twice in the club's 4-1 win. On 10 April, Maradona played his first Superclásico against River Plate at La Bombonera. Boca defeated River 3-0 with Maradona scoring a goal after dribbling past Tarantini and Fillol.[32]
Despite the distrustful relationship between Maradona and Boca Juniors manager, Silvio Marzolini,[33] Boca had a successful season, winning the league title after securing a point against Racing Club.[34] That would be the only title won by Maradona in the Argentine domestic league.[35]Diego Armando Maradona Franco (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈdjeɣo maɾaˈðona], born 30 October 1960) is a retired Argentine professional footballer. He has served as a manager and coach at other clubs as well as the national team of Argentina. Many experts, football critics, former players, current players and football fans regard Maradona as the greatest football player of all time.[5][6][7][8] He was joint FIFA Player of the 20th Century with Pelé.[9][10]
An advanced playmaker who operated in the classic number 10 position, Maradona is the only player in football history to set the world record transfer fee twice, first when he transferred to Barcelona for a then world record £5m, and second, when he transferred to Napoli for another record fee £6.9m.[11] He played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell's Old Boys during his club career, and is most famous for his time at Napoli where he won numerous accolades. In his international career with Argentina, he earned 91 caps and scored 34 goals. Maradona's exceptional vision, passing, ball control, dribblingskills, speed, reflexes and thinking time was combined with his small size (he was 5'5", or 1.65m) giving him a low center of gravity which allowed him to be more maneuverable than most other football players; he would often dribble past multiple opposing players on a run. His presence on the pitch would have a great effect on his team's general performance, while he would often be singled out by the opposition. A precocious talent, Maradona was given the nickname "El Pibe de Oro" ("The Golden Boy"), a name that stuck with him throughout his career.[12]
Maradona played in four FIFA World Cups, including the 1986 World Cup in Mexico where he captained Argentina and led them to victory over West Germany in the final, and won the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player. In the 1986 World Cup quarter final, he scored both goals in a 2–1 victory over England that entered football history for two different reasons. The first goal was an unpenalized handling foul known as the "Hand of God", while the second goal followed a 60 m (66 yd) dribble past five England players, voted "The Goal of the Century" by FIFA.com voters in 2002.[13]
He coached Dubai-based club Al Wasl in the UAE Pro-League for the 2011–12 season. In August 2013, Maradona joined Argentine Primera D club Deportivo Riestra's staff as "spiritual coach".[14][15][16]
Maradona with Al Wasl in 2012
| |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Diego Armando Maradona Franco | ||
| Date of birth | 30 October 1960 | ||
| Place of birth | Lanús, Buenos Aires, Argentina | ||
| Height | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) | ||
| Playing position | Attacking midfielder Second striker[1][2][3][4] | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1968–1969 | Estrella Roja | ||
| 1970–1974 | Los Cebollitas | ||
| 1975–1976 | Argentinos Juniors | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1976–1981 | Argentinos Juniors | 166 | (116) |
| 1981–1982 | Boca Juniors | 40 | (28) |
| 1982–1984 | Barcelona | 36 | (22) |
| 1984–1991 | Napoli | 188 | (81) |
| 1992–1993 | Sevilla | 26 | (5) |
| 1993–1994 | Newell's Old Boys | 5 | (0) |
| 1995–1997 | Boca Juniors | 30 | (7) |
| Total | 491 | (259) | |
| National team | |||
| 1977–1979 | Argentina U20 | 24 | (13) |
| 1977–1994 | Argentina | 91 | (34) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1994 | Mandiyú de Corrientes | ||
| 1995 | Racing Club | ||
| 2008–2010 | Argentina | ||
| 2011–2012 | Al Wasl | ||
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (goals) | |||
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