Diego Armando Maradona

That_Bloke

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After having a discussion with some Caftards in the Messi thread a few weeks ago, I realized that some just can't truly appreciate the magnitude of his talent and achievements because of his relatively meager trophy cabinet.

I grew up when Diego was the talk in the town and everyone tried to emulate his every move. I had the privilege of watching live a number of exceptional playmakers spanning from Laudrup, Bergkamp, Hagi, Baggio, to Zidane, Ronaldinho and Messi, just to name a few. Others like Cruijff, Zico, or Platini retired shortly before I truly was able to appreciate their outstanding talent.

Aside from the futility of comparing players across different eras, my firm opinion is that numbers, something that a lot of people live and die for in an age where stats reign supreme, will never be able to translate the true worth of a player.

Maradona played in an era where goals and trophies were truly hard to come by. The Serie A was renowned for its toughness, focus on defense and the quality of the opposition with 8-9 teams able to compete for the title. Capocannonieri like Platini or Van Basten, and we're talking here about absolute football legends, would average less than 20 goals a season.

The Champions League (formerly known as the European Cup) neither was a yearly opportunity to shine, nor had the same format and aura it has today. To put things in context, Maradona only played 6 Champions League matches, all of them knock-out games, and the Ballon d'Or was still exclusively reserved to European players throughout his career.

Despite his up and downs, his off-field antics, and there were many, Maradona truly was a one of a kind player and a larger than life character. His flaws paradoxically made him relatable to many who watched him work his magic on the field. It's truly hard to really grasp what he represented for the Argentinians and especially the Neapolitans, if one didn't witness it.

To me he was one of the most skilfull and most complete footballers I've ever seen, he simply had it all.

Speed, strength, balance, first touch, close control, dribbling, passing, playmaking, finishing, heading, freekicks, leadership, everything. One thing one could point at was his "one-footedness". Left-footed players tend to be this way, but he was truly on another level. The other being his relative inconsistency, which given his weekly alcohol and drug binges from 1984 on is hardly surprising.


There's a few videos I compiled to show younger football aficionados who didn't get to live the age where he shone the brightest, what he meant for the people of his generation, and why he's unanimously seen as a football god. Music is to be muted in most of the cases.


The first I wholeheartedly recommend takes a broader look at his life, and put a much needed context to understand how his career unfolded and ultimately ended in a relative disgrace. The author knows his stuff and every single documentary of his is absolutely worth watching.



Here's a short overview of his overall skills:



His peak at Napoli and how (and why) the city worshipped him.



A sample of the fouls he's been subjected to in his career. To his credit, he always took it on the chin and hardly complained even when scythed down.



Another thing I found out, to my astonishment, is that a lot of people underrate his passing range and ability. This compilation is roughly 45 minutes long and contains only passes and assists. The footage quality (80's) isn't always there, but this should put to bed any claim that he wasn't all that when it came to it.



For the hell of it, a compilation of his free style and training sessions



Feel free to comment and post other videos.
 
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Thanks for the post and for sharing @That_Bloke . Always love me some footage of the legends/goats of generations past. Growing up my father was always adamant that Pele was the GOAT, with Maradona second. I never had a strong opinion on the matter as Maradona's career basically was winding down as I started getting into footy (around 1991/1992 having only caught glimpses of the 1990 world cup) and I never watched enough of their careers (even with old footage around) to also really "know what I'm talking about".

I've watched a few of the videos above, but will definitely give it another watch later on. One of the generational things which stands out is the sheer aggression in some of those tackles :lol:. I think in today's game, we'd see a lot of red cards!
 
Thanks for the post and for sharing @That_Bloke . Always love me some footage of the legends/goats of generations past. Growing up my father was always adamant that Pele was the GOAT, with Maradona second. I never had a strong opinion on the matter as Maradona's career basically was winding down as I started getting into footy (around 1991/1992 having only caught glimpses of the 1990 world cup) and I never watched enough of their careers (even with old footage around) to also really "know what I'm talking about".

I've watched a few of the videos above, but will definitely give it another watch later on. One of the generational things which stands out is the sheer aggression in some of those tackles :lol:. I think in today's game, we'd see a lot of red cards!
It’s true about the tackling. It was an era when diving developped from a curiosa to an art form, mainly due to necessity. The refereeing had no element of protectiveness yet, a free kick was a free kick, and you literally had to hit or kick someone really hard with the ball nowhere near to get sent off. It was regular for teams to have outright butchers to take out creative opponent players.

Maradona of course knew this from childhood, but he learnt to become more careful after Andoni Goicoetxea for Athletic chopped him down when he was around 21, and put him out for a year or so.

There is a ‘funny’ video somewhere of all 49 or so blatant aggressions Italy’s feared enforcer Claudio Gentile (!) used to take Maradona out of the WC game in 1982 leading to Italy becoming world champions. Most people watching the game were appalled, and it became a story of infamy for the Italian, but Maradona later said he had no issues with a player like Gentile, who used ‘measured violence’ in a skilled and honed way - football was a kind of fight anyway. What he had issues with was the players regularily trying to injure him, which he said Gentile never did.
 
Thanks for the post and for sharing @That_Bloke . Always love me some footage of the legends/goats of generations past. Growing up my father was always adamant that Pele was the GOAT, with Maradona second. I never had a strong opinion on the matter as Maradona's career basically was winding down as I started getting into footy (around 1991/1992 having only caught glimpses of the 1990 world cup) and I never watched enough of their careers (even with old footage around) to also really "know what I'm talking about".

I've watched a few of the videos above, but will definitely give it another watch later on. One of the generational things which stands out is the sheer aggression in some of those tackles :lol:. I think in today's game, we'd see a lot of red cards!
You're most welcome.

My father couldn't put one above the other. I was personally distraught when Argentina lost against Germany in the WC 90 final followed by Diego's unceremonious exit from Napoli in the following year. That tournament was the apex of defensive, negative football and the worst WC I've ever watched.

90% of the fouls in the video are straight reds today. People were out to end someone's career. It's pure terrorism and absolutely disgusting. It also underlines why attackers were physically shot in their late 20's. This amount of punishment always took its toll at some point.

There's been two dramatic changes (for the better) I've witnessed in my lifetime: firstly the back-pass rule and secondly the banning of tackles from behind.

I can't recommend you enough the first video. It goes deep in Maradona's upbringing and his surroundings, the omnipresence of the Camorra in his life in Napoli. It highlights the dangers of fame coming too fast and too early. It also does a great job in explaining what Napoli and the Serie A were at the time, the impact of Maradona on both. Also Diego's duality and ultimately flawed character.
 
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One of the best post in all of Red Cafes history.. He was something special, best i ever seen.. He changed football to what it is today.. Thank you for this post
 
There is a weird obsession with numbers and stats these days. I mean they obviously mean something but they're not the whole story of a footballer. This obsession seems to be mostly with the younger viewers who don't really watch football in the same way we used to. For example some of the neighbour kids were playing football outside my house while England were playing in the Euros. I walked past them during half time and asked them why they were out and not watching it, they just said they could watch the highlights on Youtube later. If you're only watching games in 5 minute reels then you're not going to understand a player like Maradona. They would just look at his goals and assists and write him off as decent but unspectacular.

Maradona was more than just the insane ability. He was for Napoli what Cantona was for us in the 90s. A player who had you beat in the tunnel before kick-off because his aura was so huge. Obviously I'm generalising here but I don't think a lot of the younger generation of Messi/Ronaldo followers really understand that. They have no concept of how a player can dominate and control a game because they only see the goals package at the end.

Maradona sits in a group of only 2 or 3 in history who can be considered the best ever.
 
Thanks, don't think I'll ever tire of watching Maradona clips. Back in the day, when content wasn't as accessible as it is now, it felt magical just getting to see him with a ball at his feet. Truly majestic, imagine being a Napoli fan when he was there.
 
There's a really good documentary by Asif Kapadia on Diego which is worth watching, I used to rate Pele slightly higher but considering Diego's character, background and mentality he is number one for me. Flawed of course, but a genius.
 
One of the mistakes most people make when comparing players and managers is comparing over different eras. Players that stood out did so on the environment that was existing to them at that point of time and it's unfair to compare based on statistics or metrics of a different period. If one is to look back at the most influential attacking players over the decades who were considered something of a phenomenon, (a very arguable) list would something like this:

1950s: Puskas
1960s: Pele
1970s: Cryuff
1980s: Maradona
1990s: Ronaldo (fat)
2000s: Henry/Ronaldinho
2010s: Messi/Ronaldo (not fat)
2020s: Mbappe/Vinicius/De Bruyne? (even more debatable since we're less than half way through)

I'd argue some of these players, especially from non overlapping generations need to be treated on par with one another.
 
I never saw him play but my appreciation for him as a player skyrocketed after I saw the documentary film.
 
In the days when football was not shown on TV. I understand Maradona is judged by Mexico 86 and Napoli 87-89, as that was the only real coverage we saw.

But I truly believe he was even was even better in 1979-81 and 84-86. What a player he was. The greatest of them all!
 
After having a discussion with some Caftards in the Messi thread a few weeks ago, I realized that some just can't truly appreciate the magnitude of his talent and achievements because of his relatively meager trophy cabinet.

Great post!

This is one of my biggest pet hates with football fans.

George Best is widely considered the greatest British footballer of all time yet he only won two major league titles and one European cup.
 
Great post!

This is one of my biggest pet hates with football fans.

George Best is widely considered the greatest British footballer of all time yet he only won two major league titles and one European cup.
Yep, Phil Neville won more
 
After having a discussion with some Caftards in the Messi thread a few weeks ago, I realized that some just can't truly appreciate the magnitude of his talent and achievements because of his relatively meager trophy cabinet.

I grew up when Diego was the talk in the town and everyone tried to emulate his every move. I had the privilege of watching live a number of exceptional playmakers spanning from Laudrup, Bergkamp, Hagi, Baggio, to Zidane, Ronaldinho and Messi, just to name a few. Others like Cruijff, Zico, or Platini retired shortly before I truly was able to appreciate their outstanding talent.

Aside from the futility of comparing players across different eras, my firm opinion is that numbers, something that a lot of people live and die for in an age where stats reign supreme, will never be able to translate the true worth of a player.

Maradona played in an era where goals and trophies were truly hard to come by. The Serie A was renowned for its toughness and focus on defense. Capocannonieri like Platini or Van Basten would average less than 20 goals a season.

The UCL neither was a yearly opportunity to shine, nor had the same format and aura it has today. To put things in perspective, Maradona only played 6 Champions League matches (formerly known as the European Cup) and the Ballon d'Or was still exclusively reserved to European players.

Despite his up and downs, his off-field antics, and there were many, Maradona truly was a one of a kind player and a larger than life character. His flaws paradoxically made him relatable to many who watched him work his magic on the field. It's truly hard to really grasp what he represented for the Argentinians and especially the Napolitans, if one didn't witness it.

To me he was one of the most skilfull and most complete footballers I've ever seen, he simply had it all.

Speed, strength, balance, first touch, close control, dribbling, passing, playmaking, finishing, heading, freekicks, leadership, everything. One thing one could point at was his "one-footedness". Left-footed players tend to be this way, but he was truly on another level. The other being his relative inconsistency, which given his weekly alcohol and drug binges from 1984 on is hardly surprising.


There's a few videos I compiled to show younger football aficionados who didn't get to live the age where he shone the brightest, what he meant for the people of his generation, and why he's considered a football god. Music is to be muted in most of the cases.


The first I wholeheartedly recommend takes a broader look at his life, and put a much needed context to understand how his career unfolded and ultimately ended in a relative disgrace. The author knows his stuff and every single documentary of his is absolutely worth watching.



Here's a short overview of his overall skills:



His peak at Napoli and how (and why) the city worshipped him.



A sample of the fouls he's been subjected to in his career. To his credit, he always took it on the chin and hardly complained even when scythed down.



Another thing I found out, to my astonishment, is that a lot of people underrate his passing range and ability. This compilation is roughly 45 minutes long and contains only passes and assists. The footage quality (80's) isn't always there, but this should put to bed any claim that he wasn't all that when it came to it.



For the hell of it, a compilation of his training sessions



Feel free to comment and post other videos.



Great post!!!

Diego is my all time GOAT, would never choose any other player in a one off do or die game.

Unfortunately with this stats thing, it's a curse of today's age with little relevance given to context

You have the same problem with MJ vs LeBron, there's simply no comparison (MJ being the goat) but today's kids will bring up a whole bunch of longevity stats for LeBron to make their argument, when MJ was more interested in winning titles than collecting stats
 
There's a really good documentary by Asif Kapadia on Diego which is worth watching, I used to rate Pele slightly higher but considering Diego's character, background and mentality he is number one for me. Flawed of course, but a genius.
Great shout.

The documentary was free to watch YouTube a couple of years ago, it sadly isn't the case anymore.

I was at first a bit wary of it, after seeing his "Senna" which was a completely biased sham that painted Alain Prost as a cartoon villain.

However his "Diego Maradona" was truly great. "San Diego Maradona" by Antonio Pinto was absolutely poignant.

 
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One of the best post in all of Red Cafes history.. He was something special, best i ever seen.. He changed football to what it is today.. Thank you for this post
You're exaggerating a bit but I appreciate the reply.

Thanks.
 
There's nothing they can say to make change my oppinion: Diego Maradona is and will forever be the Greatest of All time. The GOAT. The way he lived, the way he performed and the context in which he performed are not going to be repeated. He was football personified, aura personified, charisma personified. He was the closest a human being has ever been to become a Demigod. Not Ali, not Jordan, no one had all of the characteristics Maradona had, even the bad ones.

Being the Best of All times is a different discussion, and to me no one takes that from Messi, but I don't close that door for the future, as difficult I find it for someone to come and play better than Messi did in his career.

But to be greater than Diego, tha'ts almost impossible in my vision.
 
There is a ‘funny’ video somewhere of all 49 or so blatant aggressions Italy’s feared enforcer Claudio Gentile (!) used to take Maradona out of the WC game in 1982 leading to Italy becoming world champions.
There were 23 fouls by Gentile on Maradona in that game (he was booked in the second half… and so was Maradona, funnily enough).

This also tells you a lot:
most-fouled-players-in-world-cup-v0-5098p4qt39wd1.jpeg
 
I think these GOAT debates would be more fun if we based them on who looks more like an actual goat. And I got to say there is something goat-like about Maradona.
 
imagine him in pep’s system? that really shows the limitations of him as a player.
 
When you're comparing the top players of different eras you're trying to imagine how each player would fit across the generations. For Maradona's case I don't think anybody could have done what he did at that time. The way he could drag success out of (relative) nothingness has never been rivalled. The only person who could stop him was himself and boy did he try.

Pele often had a star supporting cast, as did Messi along with the added benefit of a system being built entirely around him.

Put Messi or Pele in situations like Maradona faced and I don't think they would have reached the same level. Put Maradona in 2010s football and he would have been every bit as unstoppable as Messi has been.
 
He alongside Baggio and Zidane are my all time favourite 10s. I never got to see Maradona live in his prime. But I've read multiple books about him, watched probably every documentary about him, watched plenty matches from his prime when they where shown on some Yugo channels as "classic matches"
and also talking with my uncles and my grandfather(Allah rahmet eylesin) about his greatness and what an all time great he was. Despite not watching him in his prime, he is my GOAT and my favourite player of all time. I just love the way he played football and how he carried himself on the field (not so much off it sadly...).

Players like him, Baggio, Zidane, Ronaldinho and so on are players that make you fall in love with the sport and why it's called "the beautiful sport", I remember growing up wanting to be a no.10 for my team, mostly becuase of Maradona. I got so depressed and sad the day he passed away, to me it felt like a part of football died with him(I know, exaggerating here but it really felt that way to me, might have been a part of my childhood that actually died and why it felt so difficult to accept his death at the time...).
 
In the days when football was not shown on TV. I understand Maradona is judged by Mexico 86 and Napoli 87-89, as that was the only real coverage we saw.

But I truly believe he was even was even better in 1979-81 and 84-86. What a player he was. The greatest of them all!
Why do you say football wasnt shown on tv in those days?
 
Why do you say football wasnt shown on tv in those days?
tv in those days was full of programmes on how to feck over future generations. there was very little football shown.
 
tv in those days was full of programmes on how to feck over future generations. there was very little football shown.
I saw a shit load of football back then on tv. It was the worlds biggest sport, it was on tv all the time where I was and I live in a country where football is third or fourth down the list.
 
Always end up agreeing to disagree about this with my mate. He picks CR7 but I think Maradona was the best player I ever saw 'live'.

Can't consider players I didn't see just from highlights so it's tough. It's not just the International performances either he was unbelievable at club level.

I tried to follow his career since he went to Spain - he came to attention during a piece shown in one of the World Cup matches I think where they showed him as a kid juggling the football.

Didn't get to see a whole lot of his period at Barcelona but his Italian career was more accessible.
 
When you're comparing the top players of different eras you're trying to imagine how each player would fit across the generations. For Maradona's case I don't think anybody could have done what he did at that time. The way he could drag success out of (relative) nothingness has never been rivalled. The only person who could stop him was himself and boy did he try.

Pele often had a star supporting cast, as did Messi along with the added benefit of a system being built entirely around him.


Put Messi or Pele in situations like Maradona faced and I don't think they would have reached the same level. Put Maradona in 2010s football and he would have been every bit as unstoppable as Messi has been.
He ultimately did. Diego's the classic example of someone who tried to burn the candle at both ends, although I don't think that it ever was conscious.

As much as he was imperial on the pitch, confident in his talent and abilities to get the best out of himself and his teammates, real life always was a bridge too far and he never managed to deal with the adulation and expectations he generated.

It got to his head, destroyed his career in the long run, and ultimately cost him his life. The presence of truly nefarious people in his entourage like the Giuliano family (Camorra) or his agent Guillermo Coppola, who used him and then cast him aside like a used sock, didn't help either.

On the other side, I've often asked myself if we'd ever got Diego's feats without Maradona's excesses.

Maradona had to fight for his supporting cast in Napoli. It took years to transform that nothing team into title contenders and that's what a lot of people just don't understand.
 
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There were 23 fouls by Gentile on Maradona in that game (he was booked in the second half… and so was Maradona, funnily enough).

This also tells you a lot:
most-fouled-players-in-world-cup-v0-5098p4qt39wd1.jpeg
That's one stat that's not even close to be beaten and will probably never be. Also a reflection of how unforgiving football was to attacking players back then.