What about Jorge Valdano's obituary for Maradona. He says in it that Maradona beat Sacchi's all conquering Milan team sometimes in a diabolical state. Whether through achilles and serious knee injury to drug and alchohol abuse. I tihnk 1986 was about as clean as Maradona got in his prime years (WC that is) and look at what he could do. I think his high's were higher than anyone else. He delivered two amazing competitions the Scudetto and WC, not a bad success rate givne the sides he played in. However for me it is his artistry. Just the way he manipulated the ball is incredibly aesthetically pleasing. It was just a joy to watch. I remember as a boy being mesmerised by Socrates and Zico and then I saw him playing for Naples and just his touch and creativity was pure football ecstasy. RIP Diego what an experience it was growing up watching you.
I watched a snippet of Linaker in the bt studio just after his death was announced, he was explaining to Rio, Owen & I think Crouchy just how good Maradonna was, he explained he played for a rest of the world X1 and Diego was in the same X1,.....in the dressing room before the game Diego was sat just in his shorts, he had a rolled up sock and he was playing keepy uppy with the sock while he just sat there for like ages, then outside on the pitch in the warm up, he did the usual passing and receiving, but then he started to kick the ball miles into the air, would wait till it came down and would do it again, he did this like thirteen times but never moved any more than three feet, thirteen times, Linaker said that they tried to do the same back at the Nou Camp where he played at the time but the most anyone could manage was three....
The little man was a absolute genius, i don’t think we will ever see a player with as much skill, artistry as he had, his close control together with those dancing feet was mesmerising ,
He of course will always be remembered by that ‘Hand of God’ goal, but I think that was a stroke of genius too, he himself explained why he did it when Linaker met him in that doc he did, let’s be honest here, if you were in that same position as he was, you would have done the same, don’t deny it it because it’s true, he took the chance and got away with it,
He DID’NT cheat England out of anything, that’s just English arrogance, he cheated the ref, and got away with it, simples.
RIP Diego Maradonna
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