Maradona, Diego Armando (1960-2020), an Argentine soccer star, became famous in the 1980’s. A short, stocky, and powerfully built striker, Maradona possessed a keen brain for the sport and a devastating shot. His speed made him difficult to stop. For a discussion of soccer positions and formations, see Soccer (Players and officials).
Maradona is often regarded as the greatest soccer player of the 1980’s, but his career was frequently marred by controversy. While captaining his country’s team during the 1986 FIFA World Cup tournament, he scored the first of his two winning goals against England by palming the ball into the net. This action is illegal, but it was not noticed by the referee. Maradona later claimed that he had been helped by “the hand of God.” FIFA stands for Fédération Internationale de Football Association (International Federation of Association Football). FIFA is soccer’s world governing body.
Maradona was born on Oct. 30, 1960, in a poor suburb of Buenos Aires, where he grew up. The Argentine club Boca Juniors soon spotted his astounding talent, and he made his international debut at the age of 16. In 1982, he was transferred to the Spanish club FC Barcelona. FC stands for football club. Two years later, he joined the Italian club Napoli. In 1991, Maradona was suspended from the club for suspected use of drugs, and he returned to Argentina. In 1994, he was suspended from the World Cup after testing positive for banned drugs. From 2008 to 2010, Maradona served as head coach of Argentina’s national soccer team. He died on Nov. 25, 2020.
