UNDENIABLE TALENT.

Arguably the best footballer of all time, He was in a class of His own,

Name:
Diego Armando Maradona.
Nicknames: El Diez, Pelusa, El Pibe de Oro, El Diego
Nationality:
Argentinian
Date and Place of Birth:
October 30, 1960 at Villa Fiorito, Argentina

Club Career Appearances and Goals:
1976-1981 Argentinos Juniors - 166 appearances, 116 goals.
1981-1982 Boca Juniors - 42 appearances, 28 goals.
1982-1984 FC Barcelona - 58 appearances, 38 goals.
1984-1991 SSC Napoli - 259 appearances, 115 goals.
1992-1993 Sevilla FC - 29 appearances, 7 goals.
1993 Newell's Old Boys - 5 appearances, 0 goals.
1995-1997 Boca Juniors - 29 appearances, 7 goals.
1976-1997 TOTAL: 588 appearances, 311 goals.

International Career:
1977-94 Argentina - 91 appearances, 34 goals
Club Honours:
1981 Argentine league (Boca Juniors).
1983 Copa del Rey (FC Barcelona).
1987 Serie A champions (SSC Napoli).
1987 Italian Cup (SSC Napoli).
1988 Italian top-scorer (SSC Napoli).
1989 UEFA Cup (SSC Napoli).
1990 Serie A champions (SSC Napoli).
1991 Italian Super Cup (SSC Napoli) .

International Honours:
1979 FIFA World Youth Championship: Winner.
1982 FIFA World Cup: Second round (11th place).
1986 FIFA World Cup: Winner.
1990 FIFA World Cup: Runner-up.
1993 Artemio Franchi Trophy: Winner.
1994 FIFA World Cup: Second round (10th place)

Personal Honours - during his career:
1979–1981, 1986 Argentine Football Writers' Footballer of the Year1979, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1992 South American Footballer of the Year (El Mundo, Caracas).
1986 Argentine Sports Writers' Sportsman of the Year.
1986 Golden Ball for Best Player of the FIFA World Cup.
1986–1987 Best Footballer in the World (Once).
1986 World Player of the Year (World Soccer Magazine)

Personal Honours - after his retirement:
1996 Golden Ball for services to football (France Football).
1999 Argentine Sports Writers' Sportsman of the Century.
2000 "FIFA best football player of the century", people's choice.
2002 "FIFA Goal of the Century" (1986 (2–1) v. England; second goal).
2005 Argentine Senate "Domingo Faustino Sarmiento" recognition for lifetime achievement.

About Diego Maradona:
Born in 1960 in Villa Fiorito, Argentina, Diego Armando Maradona went single-handedly lead his country to one World Cup Final victory in 1986 and then back to the Final, four years later where they were beaten by West Germany. As well as leading unfashionable Napoli to two Italian League titles and breaking the world record transfer fee when he joined Barcelona in 1982, Maradona went on to be regarded as perhaps the greatest footballer who ever played the game.

With such great talent on the pitch came a similar talent for attracting trouble to himself off it. His sublime second goal against England in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico is often overlooked as it followed his infamous “Hand of God” opener where Maradona blatantly punched the ball past Peter Shilton in the England goal and helped Argentina to a 2-1 victory on their way to winning the tournament.

A 15 month suspension from football in 1992 for cocaine led to his departure from his beloved Napoli and two years later he was sent home from the 1994 World Cup in the USA having tested positive in a drugs test for ephedrine doping.

Diego claimed that he has been given the backing of FIFA to take the drug for weight loss purposes so that the World Cup wouldn't lose appeal without him in it only to see them renege on their promise and have him sent home in further disgrace.

This claim has obviously been vigorously denied by FIFA.

Scandal continues to follow him in Naples where he was embroiled in an illegitimate child row where he refused DNA tests to ascertain paternity and further questions were asked about his friendships with members of the Naples mafia.

Diego Maradona maintains his position as one of world football's most brilliant and troubled enigmas.
He belonged to the exclusive lists of players that played in two consecutive world cup finals, and perhaphs the only player to win the most valuable player at both junior and senior world cups and emerging as winners.