Metro.co.uk
Whether it’s the fact he wears two watches, or his checkered past filled with drug use, there’s nothing boring about Diego Maradona.
On the pitch, he’s one of the most celebrated footballers ever, and off it he’s a real character. Maradona’s back watched Argentina games after a wine-fuelled health scare last week, so we’ll see plenty more of his animated goal celebrations. Here’s everything else you need to know.
Diego Armando Maradona Franco was born 30 October 1960, making him 57 years old. He grew up in Buenos Aires, the first son out of five other siblings. His first team as a boy were Los Cebollitas or The Little Onions, and his inspiration was George Best.
Just before his 16th birthday he made his professional debut with Argentinos Juniors, and he spent five years there before transferring to Boca Juniors.
Diego Armando Maradona Franco was born 30 October 1960, making him 57 years old. He grew up in Buenos Aires, the first son out of five other siblings. His first team as a boy were Los Cebollitas or The Little Onions, and his inspiration was George Best.
Just before his 16th birthday he made his professional debut with Argentinos Juniors, and he spent five years there before transferring to Boca Juniors.
It was a hard time for the Argentine, with a bout of hepatitis, a broken ankle, and a famous brawl against Bilbao players on the pitch. In 1984 he transferred to Napoli, and quickly became captain. It was the peak of his career, and one of Napoli’s most successful times.
Years after he left the club, they even retired his number 10 jersey as a mark of respect. However, it was less than completely rosy there, and Maradona was constantly hitting headlines due to his cocaine use, for which he was fined tens of thousands of pounds for.
He left the club in disgrace in 1992 after a 15-month ban, and Diego ended up spending a stint at Newell’s Old Boys and then going back to Boca Juniors until 1997.
Even in the 1994 World Cup when he was playing for his country, he only lasted two games before testing positive for drugs and being banned again effectively ending his international career.
In retirement, Maradona’s health has suffered badly as a result of the drug use over such a long period. He suffered an overdose in 2000 and a heart attack in 2004, was forced to have gastric bypass surgery in 2005 and was in hospital again suffering from hepatitis in 2007.
His family life has been equally as crazy. In 1984 he married Claudia Villafane, and they had two daughters.
During the divorce proceedings he admitted he’d fathered a son to someone else in 1986. It had been a scandal at the time, but only came out after the boy had made efforts to meet his dad in 2003.
Maradona is currently dating Rocio Oliva, an ex-professional women’s footballer for various clubs in Argentina. According to Celebrity Net Worth, the 57-year-old is worth $100,000 (around £75,000).
Although he’s earned lots of money in his life, he’s also been embroiled in tax disputes with the Italian government, with them seizing property and cash from him.
Despite a tumultuous past, Brits have a love/hate relatiobnship with Diego Maradona. Okay, we can never forgive him for the Hand of God in 1986, but he’s a player you can never forget either.