Diego Maradona Was a Soccer God Who Lived a Beautiful, Flawed Life
We saw ourselves in his triumphs — and in his crashes
Diego Armando Maradona wasn’t a perfect man. He wasn’t even the perfect athlete.
His diminutive height was better suited for a jockey than a world-class futbolista. However, the scrappy Argentino became one of the beautiful sport’s most beloved players in its history. Like many of our heroes, he was troubled: think Hector Lavoe, Miles Davis, Michael Jackson. When he died on November 25 from a heart attack, the world mourned the loss of a legend and lamented his struggles.
Throughout his storied career, “El Pibe de Oro” remained the hard-nosed kid playing fútbol on unpaved ground in the hood. He stood five feet five inches, was a bit pudgy, and couldn’t jump particularly high, but his soccer IQ far exceeded his physical deficiencies.
Born October 30, 1960, in Lanús, a province of Buenos Aires, Maradona was raised in Villa Fiorito, one of the poorest slums in the South American nation. He began his soccer career at the tender age of 11 with Argentinos Juniors FC, and life for his humble family…
