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A series of provocative, moving and illuminating interviews with (arguably) the greatest soccer player ever... Diego Armando Maradona’s death on November 25, 2020, at the age of 60, was a death that had been foretold many times. Even when he was alive accounts of his life had a tragic register, of the kid from the slums whose magical talent on the soccer field was squandered by drug addiction. But his death allowed millions of people to ponder both the tragedy and triumph of his life, of a man who was arguably the world’s greatest soccer player, who was also a champion for the world’s poor. Adorned in the talismanic number 10 shirt that Maradona made his own while playing Boca Juniors,...
The candid, revealing autobiography of soccer's greatest and most controversial star. “Sometimes I think that my whole life is on film, that my whole life is in print. But it’s not like that. There are things which are only in my heart—that no one knows. At last I have decided to tell everything.”—Diego Maradona A poor boy from a Buenos Aires shanty town, Diego Maradona became a genius with the soccer ball, kicking his way to the heights of South American, European, and world soccer, yet his struggles with the pressures of life inside and outside the game repeatedly threatened to tear him and his legend down. Hero or villain, one thing about Maradona is certain: He was the greatest...
This story moves from the slums of Buenos Aires, where Maradona was born in 1960, to the stadiums of the United States, where he was expelled in 1994 after failing a drug test. In his rise to fame -- and notoriety -- Maradona played for some of the world's greatest teams, leading Argentina to their second World Cup championship in 1986, and captaining Napoli to two Italian league titles. But the pressures of stardom led to a cocaine addiction that caused the charismatic and stormy footballer to womanize, associate with organized crime, and become a pawn in Argentinean political gamesmanship. This examination of a complex sporting genius offers insight into a world of exploitation, corruption, and intrigue.
This is the first book in English to closely examine the life of Diego Maradona from socio-cultural perspectives, exploring how his status as an icon, a popular sporting hero, and a political figurehead has been culturally constructed, reproduced, and manipulated. The volume looks at representations of Maradona across a wide variety of media, including literature, cinema, popular music, printed and online press, and radio, and in different countries around the world, to cast new light on topics such as the instrumentality of sporting heroes and the links among sport, nationalism, and ideology. It shows how the life of Maradona – from his origins in the barrio through to his rise to god-like status in Naples and as a postcolonial symbol of courage and resistance against imperial powers across the global south, alongside scandal and his fall from grace – powerfully illustrates themes such as the dynamics of gender, justice, and affect that underpin the study of sport, culture, and society. This is essential reading for anybody with an interest in football, sport studies, media studies, cultural studies, or sociology.
The story of the most remarkable—and controversial—World Cup triumph in history, told in a long-awaited firsthand account from Diego Maradona, its most legendary player. “This is Diego Armando Maradona speaking, the man who scored two goals against England and one of the few Argentines who knows how much the World Cup actually weighs” In June 1986, Diego Maradona—one of soccer’s greatest and most polarizing figures—proudly hoisted the World Cup above his head. Since then, Argentina’s World Cup victory has become the stuff of legend, particularly their infamous victory over England—only four years after the country’s defeat in the Falklands War—which featured arguably th...
Complete your collection with these limited Ultimate Football Heroes International editions – now with a bonus World Cup chapter. Diego Maradona is a true footballing legend, and arguably the greatest player ever. The Argentinian playmaker was renowned for his unbelievable skills and agility, as he effortlessly weaved his way up the pitch and through the opposition defence. Nicknamed 'The Golden Boy', Maradona earned ninety-one caps and scored thirty-one goals for his country, including in the 1986 World Cup where he captained his team to victory - scoring the two most famous goals of all time, against England, along the way!
Diego Armando Maradona: hero or villain?One thing is certain: he was the greatest footballer of his generation - and perhaps of all time. A poor boy from a Buenos Aires shanty-town, his genius with a ball took him to the heights of European and world fo
The death of Diego Maradona in November 2020 shocked the football world but he left behind a unique legacy following a playing career packed with amazing moments on the pitch and controversy off it. Award-winning football journalist Harry Harris gives his personal perspective on Maradona's life story as one of only a few British writers to have been granted access to arguably the world's greatest ever player. He is helped by World Cup winner Ossie Ardiles who was a close friend of Diego's for most of his life having first seen the boy wonder at close quarters performing football tricks in the warm-up at an international match in 1975 before Diego became a regular in the Argentina side. Harry...
Inside Diego is an intimate portrait of the greatest footballer of all time, from the person in football who knew him best. As Diego Maradona's personal trainer, Fernando Signorini spent more than a decade at the superstar's side, witnessing a dizzying array of highs and lows, from helping Diego recuperate from a broken ankle in 1983 to his dramatic exit from the 1994 World Cup after a failed drugs test. Signorini offers a unique perspective on the troubled legend, giving us the lowdown not only on Diego's evolution as an athlete, but on Diego the human being, a far cry from the character we saw on TV screens. He brings us the inside track on Maradona's preparation for three World Cups: Mexico 86, Italia 90 and USA 94. We also get an insider view on his battles with fame, drugs and extramarital paternity, plus his time in charge of the Argentine national team. Brimming with incredible stories and anecdotes, Inside Diego is an intensely personal rollercoaster account of a flawed football genius.
MARADONA is the definitive new biography of a true global icon, from world-renowned football writer and journalist Guillem Balagué. Diego Armando Maradona was widely acclaimed as a genius. One of the greatest footballers of all time, he was also one of the most controversial. In an international career with Argentina he earned 91 caps and scored 34 goals and played in four FIFA World Cups. With his unforgettable 'hand of God' goal and unsurpassed second one in the 1986 quarter-final against England, he captained his nation and led them to victory over West Germany in the final in Mexico. His vision, passing, ball control and dribbling skills, and his presence and leadership on the field, of...