{"id":3579,"date":"2020-11-29T15:45:50","date_gmt":"2020-11-29T15:45:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/drmirkin.com\/?p=3579"},"modified":"2020-12-02T00:32:34","modified_gmt":"2020-12-02T00:32:34","slug":"diego-maradona-troubled-best-soccer-player","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/drmirkin.com\/?p=3579","title":{"rendered":"Diego Maradona, Troubled Best Soccer Player"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"diegoDiego Maradona was widely regarded as one of the greatest soccer (called “Football” in most of the world) players of all time. He could dribble the ball through an entire opposing team and could kick the ball where the goalie couldn\u2019t reach it. He won the 1986 World Cup in Mexico almost single handedly as captain of the Argentina national team. He received the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player, and arguably the most famous game ever was in that tournament when he scored both goals in a 2\u20131 victory over England. In his first goal, the 5’5″ Maradona out-jumped England\u2019s more-than-a-foot-taller goal keeper, Peter Shilton, and used his left hand to punch the ball into the net. Of course this is illegal, but the goal was allowed because the referee \u201cdid not see\u201d the foul. When Maradona was confronted with the fact that he had scored an illegal goal, he responded with the world famous comment, \u201cThat goal was scored by the Hand of God.\u201d A few minutes later, he dribbled the ball for more than 66 yards through seven English defenders before kicking the ball into the net. That goal was voted “Goal of the Century” by FIFA voters in 2002.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, his incredible career was marred by repeated bouts of alcoholism, drug abuse, obesity and ill health. He died on November 25, 2020, at age 60.<\/p>\n

A Child Prodigy<\/strong>
\nDiego Armando Maradona was born in 1960 into abject poverty in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He started playing soccer at age three when he received a ball as a gift, and at age eight he tried out for the Argentinos Juniors team. He had such amazing soccer skills that the coach did not believe that he was only eight, so he asked Maradona for his ID card and when he told the coach that he didn\u2019t have it, the coach was convinced that he was much older. By age 12, Maradona was so skilled that he was giving heading and ball control exhibitions at halftime intermissions of first division soccer games.<\/p>\n

At age 15, Maradona became the youngest professional player in the history of the Argentine Primera Divisi\u00f3n. A few minutes into his first game, he scored his first professional goal. He spent five years with that team, and scored 115 goals in 167 games. In 1981, at age 21, he joined a top professional soccer team, Boca Juniors. He scored two goals in his first game and the team went on to win the league title that year. In 1982, at age 22, he joined the Barcelona team in Spain for a world-record fee of $7.6 million and the next year, the team beat Real Madrid to win Spain’s annual national cup. In 1983, he suffered loss of playing time for three months because of hepatitis followed by a fight during a game that resulted in a broken ankle. That fight also led to his being sold by Barcelona to Napoli in Italy for a world record $10.48 million. At age 26, he quickly became team captain and Napoli won their first Serie A Italian Championship.
\n