Although l grew up loving George Best, Diego Maradona is in with a good shout of being classed as the greatest footballer of all time, especially during the time he was playing for Naples. He obviously had many issues, but that just made him more human, especially coming from the dirt poor background he had, and didn't distract from his enormous talent and ability to alter the outcome of games, despite (like Best) some of the ferocious tackling he had to endure. Personally, although it was annoying that he got away with the 'Hand of God' against England, most other players on that pitch would have done the same thing if they could have, so l've no issues with it (apart from the debate about players wanting to cheat in the broader sense, but that's for another day). Lionel Messi has been the modern days nearest equivalent to Maradona, and some (insane) people prefer Cristiano Ronaldo, but comparisons are kind of pointless, as they involve different types of games and opposition, but Maradona was certainly something very very special, and should be lauded for his exceptional skills, outrageous balance, and bravery on the field. There's an excellent piece by Maradona's former Argentina teammate Jorge Valdano in The Guardian (look here), which is an infinitely superior tribute than anything l could muster up and is well worth reading.
I love this film of Maradona warming up and juggling a football, and speaking from personal experience as someone who could also do lots of tricks with a football, Maradona's touch is gobsmacking. Another great player who will be missed by anyone with a love for the game.
On the other hand, l have nothing but contempt for the way he mistreated his records
Toodle pip
No comments:
Post a Comment