Author Topic: Diego Maradona RIP  (Read 5371 times)

Diego Maradona RIP
« on: 25 November, 2020, 04:48:16 pm »
Aged 60.

At his best he played some of the best football I've ever seen.

Sadly too many demons in the end.
“There is no point in using the word 'impossible' to describe something that has clearly happened.”
― Douglas Adams

Re: Diego Maradona RIP
« Reply #1 on: 25 November, 2020, 05:00:00 pm »
Sky News reported that Johan Cryuff sent in a tweet of condolence (even showed a screenshot of the tweet)::-)  What happened to checking facts for accuracy?

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Diego Maradona RIP
« Reply #2 on: 25 November, 2020, 05:08:42 pm »
Taken by the hand of God.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: Diego Maradona RIP
« Reply #3 on: 25 November, 2020, 05:24:35 pm »
At his best he played some of the best football I've ever seen.

For all the adulation heaped on Messi, he has never made the same impression on me as Maradona did. That might just be an age thing though.

I don't think I have ever enjoyed a World Cup so much as Mexico 86. The whole hand of God business was really just a bit of pantomime villainry. It would have been a travesty if Argentina hadn't won that year.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

Re: Diego Maradona RIP
« Reply #4 on: 25 November, 2020, 07:58:34 pm »
It's a shame that the hand goal is remembered for the wrong reason.  It was a terrific piece of conjuring and we were lucky to be alive to see it - Crispin's Day or not.  His second goal was absolutely breathtaking.  I'm reminded of the sensational diving header Alan Shearer scored against Scotland, only to have his brilliant effort eclipsed by Paul Gascoigne 's sublime lob and volley.

Two out of three Geordies, there: Diego would have wanted to be a Geordie, too!  Sadly, he had a lot of other stuff in common with Paul, but thank Milburn  for the memories!

Re: Diego Maradona RIP
« Reply #5 on: 25 November, 2020, 07:59:23 pm »
Proper old skool footballer. Booze, drugs and getting up to all sorts, but still somehow managed to be one of greatest of all time.

Hated the little cunt though 😋

RIP
Those wonderful norks are never far from my thoughts, oh yeah!

Re: Diego Maradona RIP
« Reply #6 on: 25 November, 2020, 08:02:50 pm »
He spoke highly of you, too!  :)

Re: Diego Maradona RIP
« Reply #7 on: 25 November, 2020, 08:40:00 pm »

Re: Diego Maradona RIP
« Reply #8 on: 25 November, 2020, 10:00:22 pm »
But you know he would bend it into the top corner! ;)
He showed up to talk at the Oxford Union a few years after he retired and performed many keepie uppies with a golf ball while wearing loafers!

Re: Diego Maradona RIP
« Reply #9 on: 26 November, 2020, 09:45:19 am »
Scored a handball goal in 1986 world cup ( not saying I or most people wouldn't have done the same, but its still cheating)

Thrown out of 1994 World Cup for taking banned drugs

Cocaine Addict

Numerous criminal offences - alleged or proven

Mafia links

Adulterer



Whilst he was undoubtedly a great footballer ( not as good as Pele, Duncan Edwards and others in my opinion)

Re: Diego Maradona RIP
« Reply #10 on: 26 November, 2020, 01:54:12 pm »
Do you do funeral eulogies professionally?!  There are many people whose sins are encompassed in your list (which I can't  confirm, but don't  dispute) but  Maradona had footballing genius on the credit page of his ledger.  I think you are a bit quick off the mark (and probably a Manchester United fan?)!

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Diego Maradona RIP
« Reply #11 on: 26 November, 2020, 02:38:04 pm »
Not only Gascoigne but living la vida Pantani!
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: Diego Maradona RIP
« Reply #12 on: 26 November, 2020, 03:44:18 pm »
probably a Manchester United fan

There's an insult!
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

Re: Diego Maradona RIP
« Reply #13 on: 26 November, 2020, 03:45:11 pm »
..... but  Maradona had footballing genius on the credit page of his ledger.

This seems to be a common theme all over the media. Gushing tributes to a man who was, by all accounts, a complete arsehole. But hey! Not to worry! You can be as big a prick in life as you like - just as long as you're good at football...
Those wonderful norks are never far from my thoughts, oh yeah!

Re: Diego Maradona RIP
« Reply #14 on: 26 November, 2020, 04:53:19 pm »
I agree with that, Bobb, and I certainly don't look to the media for  guidance on sentiment or morality.  But first there is the tragedy of his death and the reminder of his artistry and brilliance.  Isn't that ok for a couple of days- a little sympathy for basically a tragic life?

He must have hurt a lot of people along the way but he might qualify as an idiot-savant.  He certainly wasn't Stalin - otherwise he'd have played for Leeds.

But your basic point is fair and I've given you A* - only missing ** because Diego had even better hair than you!

Re: Diego Maradona RIP
« Reply #15 on: 26 November, 2020, 05:10:23 pm »
There was a brilliant movie released a couple of years ago just called Diego Maradonna. The story told in that is basically his time in Naples, and how in many ways, Naples was both the making of him on the field and the breaking of him off it. It's worth watching if you get a chance. How much artistic license is taken is hard to say, but I think it's fair to say that the mob ran Naples then, and dropping a young man from a poor background into that environment to be hero worshipped was never going to end well. And let's face it, the tributes are to his talent and achievements on a football field in the late 80s - the rest of the Maradonna story is basically a disaster. I'm not sure you could find a player who has been regarded as the best in the world who hasn't been a complete egotistical arse - I wonder why that might be?

Re: Diego Maradona RIP
« Reply #16 on: 26 November, 2020, 08:37:08 pm »
Pele ?
Rust never sleeps

bairn again

Re: Diego Maradona RIP
« Reply #17 on: 26 November, 2020, 08:54:56 pm »
I reckon Maradona was the best ever player whose career I recall pretty much from from start to finish.  My earliest memories of games are from the early 70s - by then Pele was very much in the twilight of his career and Cruyff had been on the scene for a while by then, Rolls Royce though he was. 

Maradona led a good-but-not-brilliant Argentina to the World Cup in 1986, and Napoli to 2 scudettos thats not been achieved before or since.  While Messi has won the European Cup and Ronaldo is a phenomenal athlete who won Euro 2016 Id say that they're not quite the player Maradona was in his pomp. 

Aye, he cheated England but don't let that blind you to genius.  Fenwick tried to kick seven shades of shite out him and thats cheating too so dont accidentally sound like Peter Shilton unless you really want to fly with the crows.   

Edit - Ive long believed that Shilton's anger generally stems from the fact that in 1986 and especially in 1990 he knew he was the weak link in the England team.  He'd no spring in his legs and in both the "hand of god" incident and the West Germany free kick that spun over his head in Italia 90 he was found wanting (he also saved 0 pens in the 1990 SF shootout and never looked like saving one). 

That 1990 England team had top class players in every other position and were a top quality GK short of winning the World Cup (the other two were Woods and Seaman both probably better bets at that stage esp Woods who had also been in the 1986 squad along with Gary Bailey). 

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
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Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

Re: Diego Maradona RIP
« Reply #19 on: 26 November, 2020, 09:37:49 pm »
Aye, thanks for that, Wow.


Re: Diego Maradona RIP
« Reply #21 on: 26 November, 2020, 10:13:50 pm »
Yeah, a lovely piece, thanks, Wow.

RIP Diego :(

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Diego Maradona RIP
« Reply #22 on: 26 November, 2020, 11:21:30 pm »
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/nov/26/maradona-the-footballer-had-no-flaws-maradona-the-man-was-a-victim

That's a sublime piece of prose.

And a translated piece of prose, at that.
And it shows! In a good way – it's hard to imagine a British journalist writing like that (though possibly an American might).
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

FifeingEejit

  • Not Small
Re: Diego Maradona RIP
« Reply #23 on: 26 November, 2020, 11:30:07 pm »
He was linked to playing in a friendly on the wrong side of Tannadice Street
https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2018/jan/18/the-forgotten-story-of-when-diego-maradona-signed-for-dundee

Alas (?) the most famous and best player to sit in the Dens Park main stand remains Pele. (Schoolboy World cup 1989)


Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Diego Maradona RIP
« Reply #24 on: 27 November, 2020, 01:47:20 am »

Possibly the world's worst statue of Maradona? It's in Calcutta. There's a statue of Pele in Bangalore which is equally bad – in fact the two look remarkably similar.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.