Maradona. Passed away

[Winsford Soul 14,519]

Diego Maradona dies after suffering cardiac arrest, Argentina media report 

https://f7td5.app.goo.gl/bbj9FE

 

[Zoomsoulblue 767]

Always remember the second goal against England in the hand of god game - amazing skill and natural talent - however that does not take away he will be remembered as a cheat and coke head.

[Monny1916 217]

Best footballer who ever lived ,, RIP . 

[Tomangoes 2,899]

Another sad example of somebody given everything life can offer, but that self destruct button still gets pressed.

Leaves at least 11 children.

A real shame his fame and fortune did not give him peace.

Ed

[Dylan 730]

 

RIP

[Chalky 15,331]

I urge anyone to watch the recent film about him, he couldn't live a normal life.  He was god in Argentina and Naples and lived in a goldfish bowl.  He couldn't go anywhere in the day.  Night time was his time when not on the pitch.  Little wonder with the life he lived he transgressed like he did.

But for all his demons he was a truly gifted footballer, one of the best ever.  With a low centre of gravity, he had perfect balance, a blistering turn of pace and skills unmatched in his era.

R.I.P.

Edited November 26, 2020 by Chalky

[Leicester Boy 661]

A football genius but a troubled man as many geniuses are. Hope hes at peace but not going to pretend i liked him.

[Shinehead 1,821]

26 minutes ago, Chalky said:

I urge anyone to watch the recent film about him, he couldn't live a normal life.  He was god in Argentina and Naples and lived in a goldfish bowl.  He couldn't go anywhere in the day.  Night time was his time when not on the pitch.  Little wonder with the life he lived he transgressed like he did.

But for all his demons he was a truly gifted footballer, one of the best ever.  With a low sense of gravity, he had perfect balance, a blistering turn of pace and skills unmatched in his era.

R.I.P.

Watched  that film it was a real eye opener , I can forgive the hand of God and his demons because he was the best in my opinion won the world cup for Argentina almost single handed and turned Napoli in to Italian champions. 

R.I.P Diego , I will watch the videos again tonight and remember your unique talent.

Edited November 25, 2020 by Shinehead

[Chalky 15,331]

Hand of god, what were the match officials doing? Blame them, they were the only ones not to see it. 

Edited November 25, 2020 by Chalky

[Chas 324]

https://youtu.be/eNnTnrg0ets Bob Kuban 'the cheater' instantly comes to mind, followed by E. Rodney. 

 

[Pga1 330]

Hiya, remember seeing him play against England at Wembley a couple of years after the 78 world cup. Although England won, maradona was the talk of the crowd, cheers

[Winsford Soul 14,519]

Ironically its 15 years ago today that George Best passed away   I went to Old Trafford the following day to see the flowers and tributes that people had left. Unbelievable sight unfortunately my phone was knackered and I didn't have a  camera to capture the scene . Sleep well and rest in peace George 

[Kev Cane 3,410]

3 hours ago, Zoomsoulblue said:

Always remember the second goal against England in the hand of god game - amazing skill and natural talent - however that does not take away he will be remembered as a cheat and coke head.

Frightening to think how good he'd have been if he hadn't taken party drugs isn't it, no one man can win a tournament, let alone the World Cup by themselves, Maradona came closest to destroying the notion, when he went to Napoli, it was the equivalent of signing for Newcastle here, fanatical fans in a deprived area, a club who'd won nothing, one man lifted the club and city to heights they could never dream of, the down trodden peasants from the South, tearing it up and beating the powerhouses of the affluent North, doing this in the then best league in the world, tactically and defensively, Platini, Guillit, Maldini, Baresi, Van Basten, Mattheus, he outshone them all, Messi has just said, if he played for a million years, he'd never be as good as Maradona, in fact, Germany v Argentina, 2014 World Cup Final, take prime time Messi out, put prime time Maradona in, Argentina win all day long, such was his influence to make inferior team mates respond and rise above themselves, I love football, it's been and still is a big part of my life, alliegences and fads mean nothing to me, quite simply, the greatest footballer of all time 

R.I.P Diego Armando Maradona

[Ljblanken 415]

1 hour ago, Winsford Soul said:

Ironically its 15 years ago today that George Best passed away   I went to Old Trafford the following day to see the flowers and tributes that people had left. Unbelievable sight unfortunately my phone was knackered and I didn't have a  camera to capture the scene . Sleep well and rest in peace George 

later in his career he played for my local club - San Jose Earthquakes.  

[Rudzy 263]

Great footballer, but i always wondered if his natural talent was super enhanced from that little line of white powder.

VAR would of disallowed the hand of god malarky.

RIP DIEGO.

[Chalky 15,331]

4 hours ago, Rudzy said:

Great footballer, but i always wondered if his natural talent was super enhanced from that little line of white powder.

VAR would of disallowed the hand of god malarky.

RIP DIEGO.

Its not a performance enhancing drug, quite the opposite really.  Totally recreational and that would be the charge in sport too, not performance enhancing. 

[DukeBurgundy 253]

A special player but a troubled soul. Those of us that love football as something more than just a mundane game surely feel touched by Maradona's passing.

It's not been a good week has it? For those of us who also love Rugby (both codes) the passing of another small but perfect pocket rocket in Christophe Dominici at just forty-eight was also really sad. 

Depression seems to have played a big part in both their lives. Elite sportsmen / women provide us , mere mortals, with memories and tales to tell but once their moment is gone some seem to get lost in melancholia.

 

Edited November 26, 2020 by DukeBurgundy

[Kev Cane 3,410]

11 minutes ago, Chalky said:

Its not a performance enhancing drug, quite the opposite really.  Totally recreational and that would be the charge in sport too, not performance enhancing. 

That's what I said Karl at the top of my post, if he hadn't dabbled in the party drugs and party scene, it's frightening to think how good he would have been, on another note, let's have a poll, if Gary Linekar punches the ball in at the other end and England go through, Cheat or Hero, if in 1966, Germany take the lead with a goal that may not have crossed the line and go on to win the World Cup, do we accept it, or does all hell break loose, I think I know the answers, when it goes our way, we grab it with both hands, when it doesn't, then we scream blue murder and robbery, the hypocrisy is comical, if I,m asked what I think of a footballer as a footballer, my answer is not influenced by what I think of them as a person, get over it everyone, flawed genius, but ask the question to those who played with him or against him, they're all in awe, and there's some legendary names amongst that lot 

Kev

[Chalky 15,331]

9 minutes ago, Kev Cane said:

That's what I said Karl at the top of my post, if he hadn't dabbled in the party drugs and party scene, it's frightening to think how good he would have been, on another note, let's have a poll, if Gary Linekar punches the ball in at the other end and England go through, Cheat or Hero, if in 1966, Germany take the lead with a goal that may not have crossed the line and go on to win the World Cup, do we accept it, or does all hell break loose, I think I know the answers, when it goes our way, we grab it with both hands, when it doesn't, then we scream blue murder and robbery, the hypocrisy is comical, if I,m asked what I think of a footballer as a footballer, my answer is not influenced by what I think of them as a person, get over it everyone, flawed genius, but ask the question to those who played with him or against him, they're all in awe, and there's some legendary names amongst that lot 

Kev

Probably the most naturally gifted footballer ever, he was three steps ahead of everyone else around him and had every scenario in his head when he had the ball.

As for cheating, he was probably the most cheated against, some of the punishment he took was brutal. 

[Tomangoes 2,899]

30 minutes ago, Kev Cane said:

That's what I said Karl at the top of my post, if he hadn't dabbled in the party drugs and party scene, it's frightening to think how good he would have been, on another note, let's have a poll, if Gary Linekar punches the ball in at the other end and England go through, Cheat or Hero, if in 1966, Germany take the lead with a goal that may not have crossed the line and go on to win the World Cup, do we accept it, or does all hell break loose, I think I know the answers, when it goes our way, we grab it with both hands, when it doesn't, then we scream blue murder and robbery, the hypocrisy is comical, if I,m asked what I think of a footballer as a footballer, my answer is not influenced by what I think of them as a person, get over it everyone, flawed genius, but ask the question to those who played with him or against him, they're all in awe, and there's some legendary names amongst that lot 

Kev

Winning by cheating is not ok, at least to me.

Because its accepted as part of the gamesmanship...plenty of sportsman hone that trait.

Ed

[DukeBurgundy 253]

Chalky has a point. How often were opposition players instructed to kick Maradona out of the game- there's even a You Tube compilation to wince at.

I rather think If you want to be the best you have to compete harder than anyone else and sometimes that involves highly dubious practices. Sure Maradona got away with the 'hand of God' but so did Thierry Henry when he handballed into the net against my country Ireland . Lester Piggott was known to snatch away the whip of a rival jockey whilst race riding, Tyson bit Hollyfield's ear to try to gain an advantage, Steve smith told his bowlers to doctor the bowl to make it swing whilst Harlequin's coach got the team doctor to cut the eye of a player so he could get his best kicker on to gain a decisive advantage.  

Cheating and dubious practises are part of professional sport. I prefer to remember these great sportsmen (possibly not Tyson) for their skill and for the thrill they bought to us mere mortals.

 

[Shinehead 1,821]

Sad really that his talent in England is overrided by one instinctive moment in a game against us .

I will forget that moment and marvel at the other goal which was pure artistry and as Chalky stated earlier try to watch the documentary film it shows a different person totally .

It shows in his younger days a shy boy whose talent exploded him into another world which put him into contact with the mafia and the like, who would not be affected by experiences like that.

 

[Leicester Boy 661]

1 minute ago, Shinehead said:

Sad really that his talent in England is overrided by one instinctive moment in a game against us .

I will forget that moment and marvel at the other goal which was pure artistry and as Chalky stated earlier try to watch the documentary film it shows a different person totally .

It shows in his younger days a shy boy whose talent exploded him into another world which put him into contact with the mafia and the like, who would not be affected by experiences like that.

 

I honestly have not seen his status as probably the greatest football player ever questioned, i am pretty baffled as to why anybody who doesn't love the man is somehow mean spirited and wrong. 

[Chalky 15,331]

1 hour ago, Leicester Boy said:

I honestly have not seen his status as probably the greatest football player ever questioned, i am pretty baffled as to why anybody who doesn't love the man is somehow mean spirited and wrong. 

I don’t think he is the greatest ever, Pele for me, he had everything.  I think Messi’s close control is unrivalled.  All the other greats also played in great teams, not the case with Maradona. What does set Maradona apart is or was his ability to virtually single handedly change an unfashionable team into champions, he did it with Argentina and Napoli. He makes other players better and he sees things other players don’t. You just have to see some of the chances he puts on a sixpence for his team mates.  All the greats have or had the ability to influence or change a game and Maradona did it on the biggest stages of all. 

[Leicester Boy 661]

2 minutes ago, Chalky said:

I don’t think he is the greatest ever, Pele for me, he had everything.  I think Messi’s close control is unrivalled.  All the other greats also played in great teams, not the case with Maradona. What does set Maradona apart is or was his ability to virtually single handedly change an unfashionable team into champions, he did it with Argentina and Napoli. He makes other players better and he sees things other players don’t. You just have to see some of the chances he puts on a sixpence for his team mates.  All the greats have or had the ability to influence or change a game and Maradona did it on the biggest stages of all. 

Having seen pele rarely and Maradona quite often in his prime i would just put maradona as the best but that could be a whole other thread.

[Kev Cane 3,410]

16 minutes ago, Chalky said:

I don’t think he is the greatest ever, Pele for me, he had everything.  I think Messi’s close control is unrivalled.  All the other greats also played in great teams, not the case with Maradona. What does set Maradona apart is or was his ability to virtually single handedly change an unfashionable team into champions, he did it with Argentina and Napoli. He makes other players better and he sees things other players don’t. You just have to see some of the chances he puts on a sixpence for his team mates.  All the greats have or had the ability to influence or change a game and Maradona did it on the biggest stages of all. 

As I said earlier Karl, take Messi out of that Argentina 2014 World Cup Final team and replace him with a prime time Maradona, Argentina win all day, and what he did at Napoli defies description to the point where Napoli fans were going to relatives graves and painting "wake up, see what's happening " 

Kev 

[Rudzy 263]

4 hours ago, Chalky said:

Its not a performance enhancing drug, quite the opposite really.  Totally recreational and that would be the charge in sport too, not performance enhancing. 

If you look at his eyes on that close up on a world cup celebration they keep showing, it reveals a man possessed on something.
Not necessarily Cocaine . . .

[Rudzy 263]

My all time top 4
1. PELE
2. MESSI
3. RONALDO
4. GEORGE BEST

[Kev Cane 3,410]

14 minutes ago, Rudzy said:

If you look at his eyes on that close up on a world cup celebration they keep showing, it reveals a man possessed on something.
Not necessarily Cocaine . . .

He was tested after that game, he'd took performance enhancing drugs and was sent home, in 1986 he was tested after the game with us, along with Terry Butcher, negative obviously, as Karl stated, cocaine is far from performance enhancing 

[Rudzy 263]

19 minutes ago, Kev Cane said:

He was tested after that game, he'd took performance enhancing drugs and was sent home, in 1986 he was tested after the game with us, along with Terry Butcher, negative obviously, as Karl stated, cocaine is far from performance enhancing 

Kev,
No i didn't mention Coke.

[Fish Fingers 182]

Funny how most geniuses (in all walks of life) are flawed. Sportsmen, artists, musicians etc etc. So often the best of the best have 'issues'. 

I suppose thats what makes them different? If they were like the rest of us, then they would be just like the rest of us (if that makes sense). 

[Vadnochka 159]

Maradona - met him at ISPO ( World's largest sportswear show ) in Munich in the 80's - Was on the Puma stand - he wore Puma Kings back in the day and was sponsored by them - right old security fuss on his arrival - a superstar and then some. Also saw him in the 1990 World Cup Final in the Olympic stadium in Rome against West Germany. Without doubt the worst Final in history and a massive disappointment but never the less absolutely great to be in the Stadium for such an occasion - still got the photos - 12 of us on a Textile industry beano. We took 12000 t-shirts - yes 12000 - 9000 Germany World Champions / 3000 Argentina World Champions ( they were the defending Champs. - 63 large cases from Luton - Rome customs was a hoot - over 30 trolleys snarled up the airport so I blagged us through by opening one case and saying - Mucho / Morey in others

Actually sold 20

RIP Diego

[Monny1916 217]

6 hours ago, Chalky said:

I don’t think he is the greatest ever, Pele for me, he had everything.  I think Messi’s close control is unrivalled.  All the other greats also played in great teams, not the case with Maradona. What does set Maradona apart is or was his ability to virtually single handedly change an unfashionable team into champions, he did it with Argentina and Napoli. He makes other players better and he sees things other players don’t. You just have to see some of the chances he puts on a sixpence for his team mates.  All the greats have or had the ability to influence or change a game and Maradona did it on the biggest stages of all. 

 

Pele , santos , New York cosmos , hardly great teams

[Tomangoes 2,899]

Vardy Leicester

Shearer Blackburn

One player can make a dramatic change...

What I liked about M was his enthusiasm to run and dribble, and cut through a defence. 

A real anticipation of a goal is going to get scored.

Funnily enough I used to feel the same when Keegan got the ball!

Ed

 

[Chalky 15,331]

18 minutes ago, Monny1916 said:

 

Pele , santos , New York cosmos , hardly great teams

He won enough titles with Santos, they were a great team in South America.  Not too many went abroad in those days and the Brazilian League was full of star players.  Three World Cup winners medals tells you enough.

 

[Chalky 15,331]

4 hours ago, Rudzy said:

If you look at his eyes on that close up on a world cup celebration they keep showing, it reveals a man possessed on something.
Not necessarily Cocaine . . .

TBH by that time his career should have been over.  His ankles were shot and in constant agony.  The tackle form the Butcher of Bilboa which broke one of his ankles was a disgrace to football.  Football didn't look after skilful players in those days.  The drugs were probably to get him through games as without them he probably wouldn't last, not that I'm condoning or defending the use.

Imagine what he would do today though if he had the protection players get today? Messi is another who has been kicked from post to post, to his credit he juts gets up and gets on with it, Maradona often lost it and hardly surprising given the brutality he suffered at times.  The same for Pele, '66 the was kicked out of the tournament.

[Rudzy 263]

10 minutes ago, Chalky said:

TBH by that time his career should have been over.  His ankles were shot and in constant agony.  The tackle form the Butcher of Bilboa which broke one of his ankles was a disgrace to football.  Football didn't look after skilful players in those days.  The drugs were probably to get him through games as without them he probably wouldn't last, not that I'm condoning or defending the use.

Imagine what he would do today though if he had the protection players get today? Messi is another who has been kicked from post to post, to his credit he juts gets up and gets on with it, Maradona often lost it and hardly surprising given the brutality he suffered at times.  The same for Pele, '66 the was kicked out of the tournament.

There is a born in "Agressive Mentality" with a lot of South American players, probably due to their upbringing mixed in with the Hot Weather this can be good one minute or evil the next.

Who was the Argentine player who got sent off in the 66 World Cup against England?

[Vadnochka 159]

Argentine captain - Ratin

[Rudzy 263]

4 minutes ago, Vadnochka said:

Argentine captain - Ratin

That's it "Ratin".
His behaviour was outrageous for the time and he DID NOT WANT TO LEAVE THE PITCH.

[Chalky 15,331]

Excellent article...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/55084504

[Soulman58 844]

Just read the Hand of God Game is on tomorrow 17:00 on the bbc sport website, BBC app and IPlayer.#

Hopefully if  dare watch it, I won't be the same as sitting in my flat with three of my best mates in total silence for 30 minutes after the final whistle.  Til someone said sod it lets go to the pub. 

[Rudzy 263]

16 minutes ago, Soulman58 said:

Just read the Hand of God Game is on tomorrow 17:00 on the bbc sport website, BBC app and IPlayer.#

Hopefully if  dare watch it, I won't be the same as sitting in my flat with three of my best mates in total silence for 30 minutes after the final whistle.  Til someone said sod it lets go to the pub. 

A Memory Best Forgotten.

[Leicester Boy 661]

11 hours ago, Monny1916 said:

 

Pele , santos , New York cosmos , hardly great teams

True at club level, but pele was also part of the greatest team the world has ever seen the 1970 brazil team.

[Kev Cane 3,410]

3 hours ago, Leicester Boy said:

True at club level, but pele was also part of the greatest team the world has ever seen the 1970 brazil team.

That's where I draw my comparisons between Pele, Messi and Maradona, all who I absolutely love, Messi and Pele had great players around them, Maradona certainly never, a leader of men, a warrior who took teams to punch way above their weight, not only on the world stage, but week in, week out in the then toughest, ruthless and best league in the world, Maradona, by a country mile

Kev 

[Monny1916 217]

8 hours ago, Leicester Boy said:

True at club level, but pele was also part of the greatest team the world has ever seen the 1970 brazil team.

Can't agree more ,, 

[Merve 56]

On 25/11/2020 at 20:29, Winsford Soul said:

Ironically its 15 years ago today that George Best passed away   I went to Old Trafford the following day to see the flowers and tributes that people had left. Unbelievable sight unfortunately my phone was knackered and I didn't have a  camera to capture the scene . Sleep well and rest in peace George 

My first United away game was the 8-2 at Northampton when Georgie scored six. 

Maradona was out of the same mold. Just not quite as good IMO

[Soulof 113]

Read in a Swedish paper about a Gothenburg player Johnny Ekström arriving to play for Empoli 1987 naturally nervous playing first time against Maradona's Napoli after WC 86. Diego went over to him pre match wished him welcome to Italy and kept sending him Christmas Cards for years   Many sides to Maradona of course but for me the best player I ever seen. Loved that film as well seen it at a proper cinema just before lockdown, what a great time document how much fotball meant more back then as well. 

[Shinehead 1,821]

Just an heads up that the film '' Diego Maradona'' is been shown tonight at 21.30 on channel 4 .

 

Edited November 28, 2020 by Shinehead