He was a complete master of the football using his talent and flair at incredible speed. He could beat defenders, he could distribute the ball anywhere to any player in the field, he could score number of goals singlehandedly, and the list was very long. His versatile skills made him supreme, most powerful and very dangerous. Few defenders could stop him in his heyday without committing fouls. And this great and legendary player was none other than Diego Armando Maradona, the world famous footballer of Argentina.

Diego Maradona is arguably one of the greatest football players that the Earth has ever produced. Elected as the greatest FIFA soccer player of the 20th century, an honour sharing with Pele, Maradona has enthralled both fans and critics during the long span of his career. He debuted in professional football during 1975 and played his farewell match in November of 2001. Playing for the Argentina national football team, he participated in 4 consecutive FIFA World Cup tournaments, leading Argentina to victory in 1986 and to 2nd place in 1990. In his international career, playing for Argentina, he earned 91 caps and scored 34 goals. Throughout quarter of a century, Maradona has influenced a multitude of people including some of the top footballers today.

Early years:- Diego Maradona was born on 30 October 1960 in Lanus, Buenos Aires, Argentina in a poor family.  He was the first son after three daughters. He has two younger brothers, both of whom are also professional football players. At the age 10, Maradona was spotted by a talent scout while he was playing in his neighborhood club Estrella Roja. He became a staple of Los Cebollitas, the junior team of Buenos Aires’s. As a 15 ear-old ball boy, he amused spectators by showing his wizardry with the ball.  On 20 October 1976, Maradona made his professional debut with Argentinos Juniors, 10 days before his sixteenth birthday.

International career:- Maradona made his full international debut for Argentina at the age of 16 in a game against Hungary on 27 February 1977. At  18, he played the World Youth Championship for Argentina, and was the star of the tournament, shining in their 3–1 final win over the Soviet Union. On 2 June 1979, Maradona scored his first senior international goal in a 3–1 win against Scotland at Hampden Park. Maradona played his first World Cup tournament in 1982. He played in all five matches without being substituted, scoring 2 goals. Maradona captained the Argentine national team to victory in the 1986 FIFA World Cup, winning the final in Mexico against West Germany. He scored 5 goals and made 5 assists. Maradona captained Argentina again in the 1990 FIFA World Cup. In the final, Argentina lost 1–0 to West Germany.  At the 1994 FIFA World Cup Maradona played in only 2 games and was sent home after failing a drug test. After retiring from playing on his 37th birthday in 1997, he increasingly suffered ill health and weight gain, hardly helped by ongoing cocaine abuse. In 2005 a stomach stapling operation helped control his weight gain. After overcoming his cocaine addiction, he became a popular TV host in Argentina.

Honours:- In 2000, Maradona published his autobiography Yo Soy El Diego (“I am The Diego”), which became an instant bestseller in his home country. FIFA conducted a fan poll on the Internet in 2000, to elect the Player of the Century. Maradona finished top of the poll with 53.6% of the vote.  Maradona’s  second goal against England in the World Cup of 1986 was chosen as the best goal ever scored in a World Cup. The award-winning Serbian filmmaker Emir Kusturica made a documentary about Maradona’s life, entitled Maradona. In 2006, Diego Maradona was appointed as a Goodwill Ambassador of the Intergovernmental Institution for the use of Micro-algae Spirulina Against Malnutrition. He became head coach of the Argentina national football team in November 2008.

Personal life:- Maradona married long-time fiancee Claudia Villafane on November 7, 1989 in Buenos Aires.  He is blessed with two daughters.   Maradona and Villafane divorced in 2004.  

Maradona had a compact physique and could withstand physical pressure well. His strong legs and low center of gravity gave him an advantage in short sprints. Over the course of his professional club career Maradona played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Newell’s Old Boys and, most distinguishably, Napoli, setting world-record contract fees. He played in 4 FIFA World Cup tournaments, including the 1986 World Cup where he captained Argentina and led them to their victory over West Germany in the final, winning the Golden Ball award as the tournament’s best player. In that same tournament’s quarter-final round he scored two goals in a 2-1 victory over England that entered soccer history, though for two very different reasons. The first goal was an unpenalized handball known as the “Hand of God”, while the second goal was a spectacular 60-metre weaves through six England players, commonly referred to as “The Goal of the Century”.