Diego Armando Maradona 1960 - 2020

Jimbob1977 wrote: »

Stunning player

The opposition were kicking lumps out of him at Mexico 86.

He just dusted himself off and glided past them.

While his time in Naples was a great success on the pitch, he got involved with mobsters and drug dealers. Naples was ultimately his downfall.

Like George Best the guy was continually the target for career ending tackles for years.

Jimbob1977 wrote: »

Stunning player

The opposition were kicking lumps out of him at Mexico 86.

82 was worse, they kicked the ****e out of him and he ended up getting a red card when he acted out in frustration.
But he learned from it.
Best there's ever been for me.

fonecrusher1 wrote: »

RIP.

As iconic and amazing as that image is, it is also totally misleading.

ooter wrote: »

Yeah he played in all 5 of their games.

Got the shít kicked out of him in most of them too. Especially by Gentile v Italy. Finally cracked up against Brazil and got sent off himself for some very belated retaliation.

BTW, that picture of him facing the entire Belgian defence (actually a disintegrating free kick wall, if I recall) is taken from Argentina's opening match in World Cup 82

ooter wrote: »

82 was worse, they kicked the ****e out of him and he ended up getting a red card when he acted out in frustration.
But he learned from it.
Best there's ever been for me.

Pasteur. wrote: »

Did he play much in 82

That was the famous WC with the great Brazilian team and Paulo Rossi for the Italians

He kicked Zico in the guts.
First round was Argentina, Belgium, El Salvador and Hungary.
El Salvador lost 10-1 against Hungary because they just wanted to score a goal at world cup.
It was also the world cup where West Germany and Austria played out a 0-0 farce which was the most rigged match in history as suited both of them to go to next round.

Belgium marked Maradona with 2/3 guys and kicked him.
Italy marked him with Cluadio Gentile, one of the greatest s***bags to have every played.
He was a great defender, but he was as dirty as hell.

Gentile later said he should have been sent off at least 3 times in that match and that was when you got away with tackles from behind and loads of stuff the primadonas of today would shyte their pants over.

Argentina played Italy and Brazil in the second round in a group of 3.
Italy beat Brazil simply through soaking up their pressure and exposing them totally on the break.

Pasteur. wrote: »

Really in 82?.

He was too young in 78 when they won

Some people wanted him to be played in 78 as he was already playing top flight football in Argentina.

So sad to hear the news this evening.

As a player in his peak he was unstoppable and though mainly known as an attacking player and playmaker he could defend brilliantly also.

If you seen him play in the World Cup semi-final against Belgium in 1986 he was literally turning up in every part of the pitch, unstoppable.

His vision was amazing and how many times he carved out openings for his team mates out of nowhere when surrounded by opposition players trying to take him out of it. I don't think we will ever see a complete footballer like that again.

RIP Diego

tdf7187 wrote: »

Are you for real? Surprising he made it to 60. He was a cocaine addict. Also the best soccer player of my lifetime, but he had a lot of health issues.

So what if he cut more lines than a disabled kid at Disneyland. He should be most remembered for his iconic performances on the pitch. A misguided genius as some may say is still a genius.

The Tetrarch wrote: »

I saw him play in Lansdowne Road.
Not bad. RIP.

Was I dreaming or did Eamon Dunphy say "This boy can't play"?

McGinniesta wrote: »

You're right.

He's criticised
1. Zinedine Zidane
2. Diego Maradona
3. John Giles
4. Liam Brady
5. Michel Platini
6. Cristiano Ronaldo.

I don't ever recall Dunphy slagging off Maradona. I do remember him being scornful of Platini right the way through Euro 84 (which France won).

At the end of France's first game against Denmark, which they won with a late Platini goal, he scoffed "If they're the best in Europe, I'm Jimmy Greaves"

He defended himself in the Sunday Tribune (RIP) at the time by saying that although he couldn't deny Platini's "brilliance", that did not constitute "greatness" which he claimed was something altogether different. This was probably the start of the "good player not a great player" cliché that has stuck with Dunphy ever since.

France's semi final against Portugal ended in a draw and went to extra time. "Now," said Dunphy triumphantly on RTE during the interval "If France are a great team, we'll find out in the next 30 minutes." Portugal duly went ahead in the first half of extra time, and we feared Dunphy might be proved right. But France scored two goals in the final 10 minutes, the last by Platini with seconds left, to progress to the final.

Dunphy was FUMING in the post match analysis.

Funny how well we old timers remember matches in the days before Youtube, or even video cassettes!

"The hand of God!", a legit defense to a cheeky handball when we were young lads on the green.

I remember the 86 World cup final.

We were playing in the Feile finals in Ennis that weekend, stayed with Doora Barefield.

After the final on Sunday, our bus stopped at a hotel on the Limerick road (I cant remember the name of it)
and we watched the World Cup final there.

Rip Diego .... True Legend.

Randy Archer wrote: »

It was against the English. They aren’t liked by everyone. The. You had thr Falklands war just prior to that (Argies started that and their dictator was a **** so they weren’t angels) but U.K. were criticised for going to war (damned if you do and damned if you don’t)

Maybe that's it. Anything I would have heard about it would have come from an Irish perspective, so there was probably considerable schaudenfraude about the goal and the Irish really enjoyed how much it irked the Brits.

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

Peter Shilton is rightfully taking a bashing on Twitter. He seems like such a bitter old man. And he's pro Brexit!

Oh, he's horrible.

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

Peter Shilton is rightfully taking a bashing on Twitter. He seems like such a bitter old man. And he's pro Brexit!

ElJeffe wrote: »

Yeah he's not a nice man at all. Peter Reid also, two very bitter people.

Two bitter oul bollox's because Maradona ran rings around them in front of the world. That's why. Christ lads build a bridge....

Remember his 2nd goal against them in WC86? He opened up England's mighty defense like it was a grown man playing against toddlers.

This is why a lot of English don't like him.

:pac:

fonecrusher1 wrote: »

Two bitter oul bollox's because Maradona ran rings around them in front of the world. That's why. Christ lads build a bridge....

Remember his 2nd goal against them in WC86? He opened up England's mighty defense like it was a grown man playing against toddlers.

This is why a lot of English don't like him.

:pac:

Muppets. They could've at least waited a few weeks/months before dragging that s**t up again??

We all know Shilton is a twat. I mean what self respecting goalie gets outjumped by someone who is 5'4. Terry Butcher is another bitter twat.

TBF Peter Reid has always been fair in his comments. I have never heard any bitterness from him.

Most of the English players have no issue with the game (Linekar, Barnes and Beardsley have all said "Fair ****s for getting away with it") nd moved on. Just Shilton and Butcher are the bitter twats.

ElJeffe wrote: »

Peter Reid also,

There was a clip on TV of somebody pointing out that if you watch the video of Diego's second goal against England, Peter Reid was runinng about 5 yards behind him for almost the length of the famous run and could not get anywhere near catching Maradona and that it looked like Reid was just trying to get a closer view of the genius.