Diego

         It was Christmas morning, I think 2005. I rushed downstairs, probably ridiculously early and infuriating my folks, to see what presents were labelled with my name under the tree. I opened several before picking up one particularly light gift. Ripping the paper to pieces I held up a white and blue jersey. I turned it round to find ‘CAIN 10’ on the back. I’d recently started to display an interest in the beautiful game and my dad had taken notice. He explained to me that it was an Argentina shirt and that he’d bought me this because ‘the greatest player of all-time wore number 10 for the Argentine National Team’. After some extensive research on this Maradona guy, I understood the hype instantly. Those two goals against England alone justified his God-like image to the football community, particularly to us Scottish fans.

            It’s common for us to slander technology now given how much it dictates our day to day lives but we’re blessed to have tools such as Youtube at our beck and call so that we can relive the past. For people like myself, born after the little Argentine genius had hung up his boots, we can surf the web and find hundreds of videos that show why the football world praised him so highly. Watching Diego Maradona highlights as someone who had just recently shown an interest in the sport was bitter-sweet. I’d watch highlights of him at Napoli, Barcelona, Sevilla, Argentina etc then tune into live matches to be blessed with the likes of Filip Sebo at Rangers and Derek Riordan at Celtic…

            Out of all the videos on the internet few pieces of film capture Diego Maradona’s charisma like a two-and-a-half-minute long clip of him warming-up before a game for Italian outfit Napoli. With Opus’ ‘Live is Life’ playing over the tannoy Diego bounces around the centre of the field, clapping his hands, shaking his hips and juggling the ball without a care in the world. What makes the whole situation even more preposterous is that his little ‘dance routine’ takes place moments before a UEFA Cup Semi-Final tie with German giants Bayern Munich. A tie they would go on to win before a Maradona penalty in the final brought the cup back to Naples. From what I’ve seen and read online, this is classic Diego. His comical side and fierce competitive nature on the football field separated by mere minutes.

            Diego’s entire life consisted of a variation of actions. That 1986 World Cup quarter-final win over England serving as a prime example. His infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal, whist glorified in his homeland and here in Scotland, technically cheating the rules of the game. Minutes later, the Goal of the Century and Greatest Goal in World Cup History, a nauseating dribble past five English players before a drop of the shoulder and calm finish past goalkeeper Peter Shilton. A perfect summary of his life, inanity, and eminence, side by side. Both during and after his remarkable career Diego demonstrated the good, the bad and the ugly.

The good? Footballing Diego, the way his unique style of not quite running but gliding past opponents inspired generations. How great an influence did he have on Lionel Messi’s career? A fellow Argentine who showed that it’s possible to make it big across the Atlantic. Atletico Madrid forward Diego Costa even admitted he was named after the World Cup winner. The fact that Diego Maradona’s career began in the mid-seventies and yet my generation are still obsessed with the man is a testament to his talents. A true number 10, not a centre-forward, nor a central midfielder, but a grafter offering support in both areas of the field. Stocky and standing at just 5ft5 Diego’s pace on the field seemed to defy physics. How graciously he glided around the field, Diego is one of a few players faster with the ball at his feet than without it. Football was blessed with Diego Maradona.

The bad? May 5^th, 1984 might be the best place to start. In front of 100,000 onlookers at Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu stadium, Maradona and Barcelona faced Athletic Bilbao in the Copa Del Rey final. After a narrow 1-0 defeat for Barca, Bilbao’s Andoni Goikoetxea (nicknamed the butcher of Bilbao) directed a gesture towards Maradona, supposedly meaning ‘F*** off’. To Diego’s defence, Goikoetxea had injured the Argentine quite seriously in the previous meeting between the two, yet this will always be stored in the ‘bad’ column of Diego’s files. Maradona flew at the Bilbao player, inciting a mass brawl, injuring roughly sixty people, and ultimately pulling the plug on Diego’s time in Catalonia. Shortly after, he would be transferred to Napoli for the second world record breaking transfer fee of his career.

The ugly? Diego’s personal struggles. An issue that followed him throughout his career and into later life. Narcotics. Diego Maradona and his war on drugs. His addiction followed him across his career but became most infamous during the 1994 World Cup in the United States. Following a goal against Greece in Foxborough, MA, Diego Maradona charged toward the television cameras. With his eyes bulging out their sockets and his head thrusting in ecstasy, Diego’s facial expressions raised alarm bells, prompting a ‘random’ drug test. A positive test for ephedrine expelled him from the tournament, his final one with his beloved Argentina.

A very outspoken character, Diego Maradona considered himself close friends with Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro. He often showcased his Che Guevara tattoo. And, once refused to shake hands with Prince Charles insisting it would be ‘stained with the blood of the Malvinas’, in reference to the Falklands War between his homeland and the British in 1982. Diego Maradona’s life was that of a blockbuster movie and although he befriended a Communist leader, jeopardised an incredible career in favour of drugs and cheated out on the field, he was the protagonist we all loved. Every relapse he had during his turbulent time with addiction, he was spurred on by the footballing world. Few deaths have left an imprint on the game like this one. Tributes have flooded in for Diego Maradona from all over the world, in and outside of sports. His health issues were always there for the world to see, his death at the age of 60, tragically, isn’t as big a shock as the young age first appears. Yet still, the footballing world stopped in silence and solidarity. Four days after his 60^th birthday (30^th October) Diego Maradona was rushed in for emergency brain surgery. He was successfully treated for a subdural hematoma and left hospital on 12^th November. Yesterday, two weeks after he was discharged from hospital, Diego Maradona suffered a fatal heart attack.  

Shortly after my introduction to Diego Maradona, a new little Argentinian magician burst onto the scene. Lionel Messi broke into the Barcelona first team and was instantly a joy to watch. As it turns out my dad was right, albeit around fifteen years premature. The greatest player to ever play the game of football does wear the number 10 shirt for Argentina. Lionel Messi is the best there is, has been and quite possibly, ever will be. My love for football and appreciation of Lionel Messi and the game as a whole stems from the shirt I opened that Christmas morning and the man who first made the blue and white of Argentina famous. Diego Maradona is one of the greatest players of all-time. Heavens eleven is getting a Hand from God.

Rest in peace Diego.