Maradona Diego Armando
Diego Armando Maradona was an Argentine professional football player and manager. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, he was one of the two joint winners of the FIFA Player of the 20th Century award. Maradona’s vision, passing, ball control, and dribbling skills were combined with his small stature, which gave him a low centre of gravity allowing him to manoeuvre better than most other players. His presence and leadership on the field had a great effect on his team’s general performance, while he would often be singled out by the opposition. In addition to his creative abilities, he possessed an eye for goal and was known to be a free kick specialist. A precocious talent, Maradona was given the nickname “El Pibe de Oro” (“The Golden Boy”), a name that stuck with him throughout his career. He also had a troubled off-field life and was banned in both 1991 and 1994 for abusing drugs. An advanced playmaker who operated in the classic number 10 position, Maradona was the first player to set the world record transfer fee twice: in 1982 when he transferred to Barcelona for £5 million, and in 1984 when he moved to Napoli for a fee of £6.9 million. He played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla, and Newell’s Old Boys during his club career, and is most famous for his time at Napoli and Barcelona, where he won numerous accolades. In his international career with Argentina, he earned 91 caps and scored 34 goals. Maradona played in four FIFA World Cups, including the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, where he captained Argentina and led them to victory over West Germany in the final, and won the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player. In the 1986 World Cup quarter final, he scored both goals in a 2–1 victory over England that entered football history for two different reasons. The first goal was an unpenalized handling foul known as the “Hand of God”, while the second goal followed a 60 m (66 yd) dribble past five England players, voted “Goal of the Century” by FIFA.com voters in 2002. On 2 November 2020, Maradona was admitted to a hospital in La Plata, supposedly for psychological reasons.
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This shirt was worn by Diego Armando Maradona during a Cup Winners’s Cup game of the season 1983/1984. It is a very rare shirt because it is the winter edition kit made of plush fabric that was especially made for the team. The shirt was given by Maradona to a team’s official of that time whom we got it from. After the 1982 World Cup, in June, Maradona was transferred to Barcelona in Spain for a then world record fee of £5 million ($7.6 million). In 1983, under coach César Luis Menotti, Barcelona and Maradona won the Copa del Rey (Spain’s annual national cup competition), beating Real Madrid, and the Spanish Super Cup, beating Athletic Bilbao. On 26 June 1983, Barcelona won away to Real Madrid in one of the world’s biggest club games, El Clásico, a match where Maradona scored and became the first Barcelona player to be applauded by arch-rival Real Madrid fans. Maradona dribbled past Madrid goalkeeper Agustín, and as he approached the empty goal, he stopped just as Madrid defender Juan José came sliding in an attempt to block the shot. José ended up crashing into the post, before Maradona slotted the ball into the net. With the manner in which the goal was scored resulting in applause from opposition fans, only Ronaldinho (in November 2005) and Andrés Iniesta (in November 2015) have since been granted such an ovation as Barcelona players from Madrid fans at the Santiago Bernabéu. Due to illness and injury as well as controversial incidents on the field, Maradona had a difficult tenure in Barcelona. First a bout of hepatitis, then a broken ankle in a La Liga game at the Camp Nou in September 1983 caused by a reckless tackle by Athletic Bilbao’s Andoni Goikoetxea—nicknamed “the Butcher of Bilbao”—threatened to jeopardize Maradona’s career, but with treatment and rehabilitation, it was possible for him to return to the pitch after a three-month recovery period. Maradona was directly involved in a violent and chaotic fight at the 1984 Copa del Rey Final at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium in Madrid against Athletic Bilbao. After receiving another hard tackle by Goikoetxea, as well as being taunted with racist insults related to his father’s Native American ancestry throughout the match by Bilbao fans, and being provoked by Bilbao’s Miguel Sola at full time after Barcelona lost 1–0, Maradona snapped. He aggressively got up, stood inches from Sola’s face and the two exchanged words. This started a chain reaction of emotional reactions from both teams. Using expletives, Sola mimicked a gesture from the crowd towards Maradona by using a xenophobic term. Maradona then headbutted Sola, elbowed another Bilbao player in the face and kneed another player in the head, knocking him out cold. The Bilbao squad surrounded Maradona to exact some retribution, with Goikoetxea connecting with a high kick to his chest, before the rest of the Barcelona squad joined in to help Maradona. From this point, Barcelona and Bilbao players brawled on the field with Maradona in the centre of the action, kicking and punching anyone in a Bilbao shirt. The mass brawl was played out in front of the Spanish King Juan Carlos and an audience of 100,000 fans inside the stadium, and more than half of Spain watching on television. After fans began throwing solid objects on the field at the players, coaches and even photographers, sixty people were injured, with the incident effectively sealing Maradona’s transfer out of the club in what was his last game in a Barcelona shirt. One Barcelona executive stated, “When I saw those scenes of Maradona fighting and the chaos that followed I realized we couldn’t go any further with him.” Maradona got into frequent disputes with FC Barcelona executives, particularly club president Josep Lluís Núñez, culminating with a demand to be transferred out of Camp Nou in 1984. During his two injury-hit seasons at Barcelona, Maradona scored 38 goals in 58 games. Maradona transferred to Napoli in Italy’s Serie A for another world record fee, £6.9 million ($10.48 million).
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Maradona arrived in Naples and was presented to the world media as a Napoli player on 5 July 1984, where he was welcomed by 75,000 fans at his presentation at the Stadio San Paolo. Sports writer David Goldblatt commented, “They [the fans] were convinced that the saviour had arrived.” A local newspaper stated that despite the lack of a “mayor, houses, schools, buses, employment and sanitation, none of this matters because we have Maradona”. Prior to Maradona’s arrival, Italian football was dominated by teams from the north and centre of the country, such as Milan, Juventus, Internazionale and Roma, and no team in the south of the Italian Peninsula had ever won a league title. In 1986-1987 led by Maradona, recently crowned World Champion Diego Maradona as the most influential player, Napoli won their first ever Serie A Italian Championship in 1986–87. Goldblatt wrote, “The celebrations were tumultuous. A rolling series of impromptu street parties and festivities broke out contagiously across the city in a round-the-clock carnival which ran for over a week. The world was turned upside down. The Neapolitans held mock funerals for Juventus and Milan, burning their coffins, their death notices announcing ‘May 1987, the other Italy has been defeated. A new empire is born.’ Murals of Maradona were painted on the city’s ancient buildings, and newborn children were named in his honor. Central defender Ciro Ferrara got his breakthrough, helping out the team to win the trophy. The two new signings Andrea Carnevale and Fernando De Napoli also proved crucial in the title-winning campaign, which sparked off fanatical celebrations in Naples.
Outside cemetery’s banner stating “You missed it”
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This Diego Armando Maradona shirt was used by Diego during Milan A.C. against Napoli S.S.C. which took place in on December 14th 1986 with a final result of 0-0. The shirt was swapped by Diego with an A.C. Milan former player which we got the shirt from.
Match Worn & Signed Boots
Argentinos Juniors
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Diego Armando Maradona was born on 30 October 1960, at the Policlínico (Polyclinic) Evita Hospital in Lanús, Buenos Aires Province, but raised in Villa Fiorito, a shantytown on the southern outskirts of Buenos Aires, Argentina, to a poor family that had moved from Corrientes Province. He was the first son after three daughters. He has two younger brothers, Hugo (el Turco) and Raúl (Lalo), both of whom were also professional football players. He was the fifth child and first son of Diego Maradona “Chitoro” (d. 2015) and Dalma Salvadora Franco ‘Doña Tota’ (1930–2011). Maradona’s parents were both born and brought up in the town of Esquina in the north-east province of Corrientes Province, living only two hundred metres from each other on the banks of the Corriente River. In 1950, they left Esquina and settled in Buenos Aires. At age eight, Maradona was spotted by a talent scout while he was playing in his neighbourhood club Estrella Roja. He became a staple of Los Cebollitas (The Little Onions), the junior team of Buenos Aires’s Argentinos Juniors. As a 12-year-old ball boy, he amused spectators by showing his wizardry with the ball during the halftime intermissions of first division games. He named Brazilian playmaker Rivelino and Manchester United winger George Best among his inspirations growing up. On 20 October 1976, Maradona made his professional debut for Argentinos Juniors, 10 days before his 16th birthday. He entered to the pitch wearing the number 16 jersey, and after the game stated, “That day I felt I had held the sky in my hands.” Maradona scored his first goal in the Primera División against Marplatense team San Lorenzo on 14 November 1976, two weeks after turning 16. Maradona spent five years at Argentinos Juniors, from 1976 to 1981, scoring 115 goals in 167 appearances before his US$ 4 million transfer to Boca Juniors. Maradona received offers to join other clubs, including River Plate who offered to make him the club’s best paid player. Nevertheless, Maradona expressed his will to be transferred to Boca Juniors, the team he always wanted to play for.
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At Napoli, Maradona reached the peak of his professional career: he soon inherited the captain’s armband from Napoli veteran defender Giuseppe Bruscolotti and quickly became an adored star among the club’s fans; in his time there he elevated the team to the most successful era in its history. Maradona played for Napoli at a period when North-South tensions in Italy were at a peak due to a variety of issues, notably the economic differences between the two. Led by Maradona, Napoli won their first ever Serie A Italian Championship in 1986–87. Napoli would win their second league title in 1989–90, and finish runners up in the league twice, in 1987–88 and 1988–89. Other honors during the Maradona era at Napoli included the Coppa Italia in 1987, (second place in the Coppa Italia in 1989), the UEFA Cup in 1989 and the Italian Supercup in 1990. Despite primarily playing in a creative role as an attacking midfielder, Maradona was the top scorer in Serie A in 1987–88, with 15 goals, and was the all-time leading goalscorer for Napoli, with 115 goals, until his record was broken by Marek Hamšík in 2017. When asked who was the toughest player he ever faced, A.C. Milan central defender Franco Baresi stated, “Maradona; when he was on form, there was almost no way of stopping him,” a view shared by his Milan teammate Paolo Maldini, who stated, “The best ever I played against was Maradona.”
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Maradona played in four FIFA World Cups, including the 1986 World Cup in Mexico where he captained Argentina and led them to victory over West Germany in the final, and won the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player. In the 1986 World Cup quarter final, he scored both goals in a 2–1 victory over England that entered football history for two different reasons. The first goal was an unpenalized handling foul known as the “Hand of God”, while the second goal followed a 60 m (66 yd) dribble past five England players, voted “The Goal of the Century” by FIFA.com voters in 2002.
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Argentina eliminated Uruguay in the first knockout round in Puebla, setting up a match against England at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City. After scoring two contrasting goals in the 2–1 quarter-final win against England, his legend was cemented. The majesty of his second goal and the notoriety of his first led to the French newspaper L’Equipe describing Maradona as “half-angel, half-devil”. This match was played with the background of the Falklands War between Argentina and the United Kingdom. Replays showed that the first goal was scored by striking the ball with his hand. Maradona was coyly evasive, describing it as “a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God”. It became known as the “Hand of God”. Ultimately, on 22 August 2005, Maradona acknowledged on his television show that he had hit the ball with his hand purposely, and no contact with his head was made, and that he immediately knew the goal was illegitimate. This became known as an international fiasco in World Cup history. The goal stood, much to the wrath of the English players. Maradona’s second goal, just four minutes after the hotly disputed hand-goal, was later voted by FIFA as the greatest goal in the history of the World Cup. He received the ball in his own half, swivelled around and with 11 touches ran more than half the length of the field, dribbling past five English outfield players (Peter Beardsley, Steve Hodge, Peter Reid, Terry Butcher and Terry Fenwick) before he left goalkeeper Peter Shilton on his backside with a feint, and slotted the ball into the net. This goal was voted “Goal of the Century” in a 2002 online poll conducted by FIFA. Maradona followed this with two more goals in a semi-final match against Belgium at the Azteca, including another virtuoso dribbling display for the second goal. In the final match, West Germany attempted to contain him by double-marking, but he nevertheless found the space past the West German player Lothar Matthäus to give the final pass to Jorge Burruchaga for the winning goal. Argentina beat West Germany 3–2 in front of 115,000 fans at the Azteca. In a tribute to him, Azteca Stadium authorities built a statue of him scoring the “Goal of the Century” and placed it at the entrance of the stadium.
“When Diego scored that second goal against us, I felt like applauding. I’d never felt like that before, but it’s true… and not just because it was such an important game. It was impossible to score such a beautiful goal. He’s the greatest player of all time, by a long way. A genuine phenomenon” Gary Lineker
Watch the best goal ever with the original legendary commentary by Hugo Victor Morales
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Maradona captained Argentina again in the 1990 World Cup in Italy to yet another World Cup final. An ankle injury affected his overall performance, and he was much less dominant than four years earlier. After losing their opening game to Cameroon at the San Siro in Milan, Argentina were almost eliminated in the first round, only qualifying in third position from their group. In the round of 16 match against Brazil in Turin, Claudio Caniggia scored the only goal after being set up by Maradona. In the quarter-final, Argentina faced Yugoslavia in Florence; the match ending 0–0 after 120 minutes, and Argentina advancing on penalty kicks, despite Maradona missing one in the shootout with a weak shot to the goalkeeper’s right. The semi-final against the host nation Italy at Maradona’s club stadium in Naples, the Stadio San Paolo, was also resolved on penalties after a 1–1 draw. This time, however, Maradona was successful with his effort, daringly rolling the ball into the net with an almost exact replica of his missed shot in the previous round. At the final in Rome, Argentina lost 1–0 to West Germany, the only goal being a penalty by Andreas Brehme in the 85th minute after a controversial foul on Rudi Völler.
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This shirt was issued for Diego Armando Maradona for the Fifa World Cup “Italia 90” semi-final against Italy which took place in Napoli. Played on 3 July, the showdown exceeded all expectations, as “La Squadra Azzurra” and “La Albiceleste” served up what was without doubt one of the most vibrant and unforgettable matches of the whole competition. On one side were three-time world champions Italy, a global footballing powerhouse hosting the FIFA World Cup™ for the first time in 56 years. On the other were an Argentina team looking to retain the title they won at Mexico 1986 and boasting the legendary Diego Maradona in their ranks. The Maradona factor lent a touch of controversy to the game. Staged as it was at Naples’ Stadio San Paolo, the local “tifosi” were torn between supporting the Napoli idol and their national team, adding to the spice of a match made appetizing enough by the fact there was a World Cup Final place at stake. The host nation had gone to every length to organize a spectacular tournament, one they had no hesitation in calling ‘The World Cup of the Modern Era’. Ten of the country’s stadiums had been remodeled for the event and two new ones built, while the opening ceremony showcased Italian style at its best and the official tournament song proved especially catchy. With all the World Cup’s previous winners in attendance, each fielding their star players, it promised to be quite a competition. Italy feared Argentina. Despite heading into the game in better shape than the reigning world champions, the mere presence of Maradona made them doubt their chances of success. Though hampered by injury, he remained the undisputed king of world football, while his magical touch was still very much intact. There was also little question that the diminutive genius would be inspired by playing in Naples, his home from home. El Pelusa recalled the build-up to the game in his autobiography Yo Soy el Diego: “It was no ordinary semi-final. We were up against Italy, and in Naples too! When I spoke to the press, I was happy and I said that thing they would never forgive me for. It was true, though: ‘It upsets me that everyone is now asking the people of Naples to be Italians and to get behind the national team.” Faced with the dilemma posed by their beloved Diego taking on their country, the Neapolitans hung up banners that read: “Diego in our hearts, Italy in our chants” and “Maradona: Naples loves you, but Italy is our homeland.” Hosts Italy went into the game as favourites, having won all five of their matches to that point, beating Austria, USA, Czechoslovakia, Uruguay and Republic of Ireland without even conceding a goal. The Italian squad was packed full of talent, with the incomparable Franco Baresi manning the defence along with Paolo Maldini, Walter Zenga in goal, and the young and talented Roberto Baggio linking up with Gianluca Vialli and goalscoring sensation Salvatore Totó Schillaci, who would end the tournament with the adidas Golden Boot in his possession. In contrast, Argentina had been anything but convincing in defending their title. After losing to Cameroon in their opening match, they squeezed through the group phase as one of the best third-placed sides. Outplayed for long periods by Brazil in the Round of 16, they eventually won through when Claudio Caniggia scored the only goal of the game from a delicious Maradona pass. Taking on Yugoslavia in the quarter-finals, they failed to make a one-man advantage count in an insipid 0-0 draw, only booking a place in the semi-finals after a penalty shootout. Adding to the uncertainty about their play was Maradona’s fitness. Carrying an inflamed right foot and a swollen left ankle, he could barely walk. They were the world champions nevertheless, and were determined to remain so. Gli Azzurri made a strong start to the game and quickly showed their intent. The South Americans struggled to settle, though Jorge Burruchaga did test Zenga early on with a powerful right-footed drive from outside the penalty box. With 17 minutes on the clock, however, the Italians went in front, Schillaci tucking the ball home after Sergio Goycochea had parried a Vialli shot. As the tension rose, the Argentinians started to come into the game. Buoyed by the experience of Ricardo Giusti, Julio Olarticoechea, Burruchaga, Oscar Ruggeri and Maradona, they began to dictate the play and finished the half stronger than their opponents. Argentina produced their best football of Italy 1990 after the restart, and pulled level on 67 minutes when Maradona picked out Olarticoechea on the left and the defender swung in a cross that Caniggia glanced past the advancing Zenga and into the net. After 517 minutes of play, the Italians had conceded their first goal of the tournament. Nerves then took a hold of both sides as the chances dried up and the friction levels increased. Extra-time was an inevitability, and when it arrived Baggio almost put Italy back in front with an arcing free-kick that Goycochea did well to claw over the bar. Argentina were reduced to ten men when referee Michel Vautrot gave Giusti his marching orders. As he later admitted, the French official became so caught up in events that he let the clock run on and only called the first period to an end after 23 minutes. A man down, La Albiceleste retreated into their defensive shell, and with the Italians unable to break through, the game went to penalties. Baresi, Jose Serrizuela, Baggio, Burruchaga, Luigi De Agostini and Olarticoechea all converted from the spot to leave the shootout tied at 3-3, at which point Goycochea flung himself to his left to deny Roberto Donadoni and Maradona coolly slotted home to put his side ahead. The Argentinian keeper then guessed correctly again to keep out Aldo Serena’s spot-kick and send Carlos Bilardo’s men through to their second consecutive Final.
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Diego Armando Maradona is included in our “Ballon d’Or” section even if he never won it while he was playing. But it’s important to know that to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the Ballon d’Or in 2016, France Football published a reevaluation of the awards presented before 1995, when only European players were eligible to win the award. 12 out of the 39 Ballons d’Or presented during this time period would have been awarded to South American players; Maradona in addition to Pelé, Garrincha, Mario Kempes and Romário, were retrospectively recognized as worthy winners. The original recipients, however, remain unchanged. Maradona and Pelé received honorary “Ballons d’Or for Services to Football” in 1996 and 2013, respectively.
Match Worn Boots
Argentinos Juniors
“Even if I played for a million years, I’d never come close to Maradona. Not that I’d want to anyway. He’s the greatest there’s ever been” Leo Messi
“At the time that Maradona retired from active football, left traumatized Argentina. Maradona was more than just a great footballer. It was a special compensation factor for a country that in a few years lived several military dictatorships and social frustrations of all kinds. Maradona offered to the Argentines a way out of their collective frustration, and that’s why people love him. There is a divine figure” Jorge Valdano
The three icons of Argentina statues in Buenos Aires: tango pioneer Carlos Gardel, political leader Eva Perón, and Diego Armando Maradona
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This shirt was worn by Diego Armando Maradona during the season 1993/1994. The shirt comes from a close friend of the player whom we got it from. It is a very special shirt, different from retail’s shirts with painted number and painted sponsors on chest and on the back that were not available in the shop’s shirts. After serving a 15-month ban for failing a drug test for cocaine, Maradona left Napoli in disgrace in 1992. Despite interest from Real Madrid and Marseille, he signed for Sevilla, where he stayed for one year. In 1993, he played for Newell’s Old Boys and in 1995 returned to Boca Juniors for a two-year stint. Maradona also appeared for Tottenham Hotspur in a testimonial match for Osvaldo Ardiles against Internazionale, shortly before the 1986 World Cup. In 1996, he played in a friendly match alongside his brother Raul for Toronto Italia against the Canadian National Soccer League All-Stars. Maradona was himself given a testimonial match in November 2001, played between an all-star World XI and the Argentina national team.
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On November 29th 2020, four days after Diego Armando Maradona passed away, Barcelona F.C. played the La Liga game against Osasuna in Barcelona, “Camp Nou” Stadium. Barcelona defeated Osasuna 4-0 and Lionel Messi at the minute 73 scored the fourth team’s goal. Lionel Messi paid an emotional tribute to Diego Maradona by revealing a Newell’s Old Boys shirt after scoring the goal. The forward looked close to tears during the minute’s applause for Maradona, prior to the game kicking off. Upon finding the target, his first in open play this term, Messi took off his Barcelona shirt to reveal a Newell’s Old Boys jersey, with the No.10 on the back in tribute to Maradona. Messi pointed to the sky while displaying the Newell’s kit, in a show of emotion for his fellow Argentinian. In accordance with the rules, Messi was subsequently shown a yellow card for taking off his Barca shirt. Newell’s responded through their English Twitter account, saying: “It’s all about number 10. The best player in the world and his tribute to #D10S.” Messi spent a spell in his youth at Newell’s, a club Maradona represented for one year towards the end of his career. The pair shared the pitch together in 2005, in an exhibition match featuring some greats of Argentina football. Neither was anywhere near their peak, with Messi 18 and Maradona 45, but they had great respect for each other’s talents. Maradona coached Messi for a spell at international level, when he was in charge of the Argentina team from 2008 to 2010. Along with Pele, Maradona and Messi are in the conversation over the greatest footballer of all time – although the latter once dismissed any comparison between himself and the two. “Even if I played for a million years, I’d never come close to Maradona,” Messi said. “Not that I’d want to anyway. He’s the greatest there’s ever been.”
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Maradona was famous for his cunning personality. Inherent within his nickname “El Pibe de Oro” (“Golden Boy”) is a sense of mischief, with “pibe” being an anti-establishment rogue, street smart and full of guile. Some critics view his controversial “Hand of God” goal at the 1986 World Cup as a clever maneuver, with one of the opposition players, Glenn Hoddle, admitting that Maradona had disguised it by flicking his head at the same time as palming the ball. The goal itself has been viewed as an embodiment of the Buenos Aires shanty town Maradona was brought up in and its concept of viveza criolla — “native cunning”.[103] While critical of the illegitimate first goal, England striker Gary Lineker conceded, “When Diego scored that second goal against us, I felt like applauding. I’d never felt like that before, but it’s true… and not just because it was such an important game. It was impossible to score such a beautiful goal. He’s the greatest player of all time, by a long way. A genuine phenomenon.” Maradona used his hand in the 1990 World Cup, again without punishment, and this time on his own goal line, to prevent the Soviet Union from scoring. A number of publications have referred to Maradona as the Artful Dodger, the urchin pickpocket from Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist. Maradona was dominantly left-footed, often using his left foot even when the ball was positioned more suitably for a right-footed connection. His first goal against Belgium in the 1986 World Cup semi-final is a worthy indicator of such; he had run into the inside right channel to receive a pass but let the ball travel across to his left foot, requiring more technical ability. During his run past several England players in the previous round for the “Goal of the Century” he did not use his right foot once, despite spending the whole movement on the right-hand side of the pitch. In the 1990 World Cup second round tie against Brazil, he did use his right foot to set up the winning goal for Claudio Caniggia due to two Brazilian markers forcing him into a position that made use of his left foot less practical.
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This is a Diego Armando Maradona personal owned and used cigar humidor during his period as manager of Argentina National Team. The humidor was given to a close friend of him, member of AFA when he quit his manager’s position. This humidor was handcrafted by a well-known Argentina’s artist following player’s request. Maradona was often spotted smoking his favourite Cohiba Cuban cigars especially in Cuba where he spent his late years. Maradona was also personal friend of the Cuban President Fidel Castro and he tattooed his face on his calf.
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Although Maradona was successful on the field during his time in Italy, his personal problems increased. His cocaine use continued, and he received US$70,000 in fines from his club for missing games and practices, ostensibly because of “stress”. He faced a scandal there regarding an illegitimate son, and he was also the object of some suspicion over an alleged friendship with the Camorra crime syndicate. He also faced intense backlash and harassment from some local fans after the 1990 World Cup, in which he and Argentina beat Italy in a semi-final match- at the San Paolo stadium. In 2000, the number 10 jersey of Napoli was officially retired. On 4 December 2020, nine days after Maradona’s death, Napoli’s home stadium was renamed Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
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This award was given by AFA President Claudio Tapia to Diego Armando Maradona to celebrate his 6oth birthday which took place on October 30th, few days before Diego’s death. You can see the moment of its consignment in the video below. In a statement on social media, the Argentine Football Association expressed “its deepest sorrow for the death of our legend”, adding: “You will always be in our hearts.” President Alberto Fernández announced three days of national mourning. UEFA and CONMEBOL announced that every match in the Champions League, Europa League, Copa Libertadores, and Copa Sudamericana would hold a moment of silence prior to kickoff. Boca Juniors’ game was postponed in respect to Maradona. Subsequently, other confederations around the world followed suit, with every fixture observing a minute of silence, starting with the 2020 AFC Champions League’s fixtures. In addition to the minute of silence in Serie A, an image of Maradona was projected on stadium screens in the 10th minute of play. In Naples, the Stadio San Paolo—officially renamed Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on 4 December 2020—was illuminated at night in honour of Maradona, with numerous fans gathering outside the stadium placing murals and paintings as a tribute. Both Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis and the mayor of Naples Luigi de Magistris expressed their desire to rename their stadium after Maradona, which was unanimously approved by Naples City Council. Prior to Napoli’s Europa League match against Rijeka the day after Maradona’s death, all of the Napoli players wore shirts with “Maradona 10” on the back of them, before observing a minute of silence. Figures in the sport from every continent around the world also paid tribute to him. Celebrities and other sports people outside football also paid tribute to Maradona. On 27 November 2020, the Aditya School of Sports in Barasat, Kolkata, India named their cricket stadium after Maradona. Three years earlier Maradona had conducted a workshop with 100 kids in the stadium and played a charity match at the same venue with former Indian cricket captain, Sourav Ganguly. The AFA announced that the 2020 Copa de la Liga Profesional, which is the debut season of Copa de la Liga Profesional, would be renamed Copa Diego Armando Maradona. On 28 November, Pakistan Football Federation’s main cup PFF National Challenge Cup honoured Maradona along with Wali Mohammad. In a rugby union test match between Argentina and New Zealand on 28 November, as the New Zealand team lined up to perform the haka their captain Sam Cane presented a black jersey with Maradona’s name and his number 10. On 29 November, compatriot Lionel Messi scored in Barcelona’s 4–0 home win over Osasuna in La Liga, dedicating his goal to Maradona by revealing a Newell’s Old Boys shirt worn by the latter under his own, and subsequently pointing to the sky. On 30 November, after Boca Juniors opened the scoring against Newell’s Old Boys at La Bombonera, the club’s players paid an emotional tribute by laying a Maradona jersey in front of his private suite where his daughter Dalma was present.
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On 2 November 2020, Maradona was admitted to a hospital in La Plata, supposedly for psychological reasons. A representative of the ex-footballer said his condition was not serious. A day later, he underwent emergency brain surgery to treat a subdural hematoma. He was released on 12 November after successful surgery and was supervised by doctors as an outpatient. On 25 November 2020, at the age of 60, Maradona suffered a cardiac arrest and died at his home in Dique Luján, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. Maradona’s coffin – draped in Argentina’s national flag and three Maradona number 10 jerseys (Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors and Argentina) – was lying in state at the Presidential Palace, the Casa Rosada, with mourners filing past his coffin. On 26 November, Maradona’s wake, which was attended by tens of thousands of people, was cut short by his family as his coffin was relocated from the rotunda of the Presidential Palace after fans took over an inner courtyard and also clashed with police. The same day, a private funeral service was held and Maradona was buried next to his parents at the Jardín de Bella Vista cemetery in Bella Vista, Buenos Aires.
NAPOLI S.S.C.
2020-2021
Napoli vs Rijeka
Player’s Tribute Shirt
Did you Know?
This shirt was worn by the Napoli’s players to tribute Diego Armando Maradona before the Uefa Europa League game between Napoli and Rijeka, which took place in Napoli, “Stadio San Paolo”, on November 26th 2020. This game was played the day after Maradona passed away on November 25th. On an emotionally-charged evening, the Napoli team took the field for the Europa League game wearing number 10 shirts with Maradona’s name emblazoned on the back, while a photograph of the Argentine idol stared down from the electronic scoreboard. Banners showing images of Maradona, who led Napoli to two Serie A titles during seven extraordinary seasons at the club in the 1980s, were placed around the San Paolo stadium, which was eerily empty and quiet due to COVID-19 regulations. “From yesterday, when we went to the hotel, you could sense that a different mood had come over the city,” Napoli coach Gennaro Gattuso said. “It was a great loss, but Diego will never die. He is a legend, from another planet.”
