"Diego Maradona" (Ecuador TV, 2014)

Diego Armando Maradona (Lanús, Buenos Aires, October 30, 1960 – Dique Luján, Buenos Aires, November 25, 2020) was an Argentine footballer and coach. As a player, he played as an attacking midfielder or forward, and is considered by numerous experts, former footballers, and international figures to be "one of the greatest footballers in history." Maradona has been described by various media outlets as the "best player in the history of the World Cup," having been named the tournament's best player in 1986. In the FIFA Player of the Century awards, he was selected as the "best footballer of the 20th century" in the popular vote, finished third in the FIFA experts' vote, and fifth in the IFFHS vote. At the 2012 Globe Soccer Awards, he was named the "Player of the 20th Century." Maradona is considered one of the most iconic figures in Argentina and one of its greatest representatives worldwide. He has also been the subject of countless references in Argentine and Neapolitan popular culture. Raised in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Villa Fiorito, he was signed to the youth divisions of Argentinos Juniors, where he spent five seasons, setting a record as the top scorer in the Argentine league five times in a row. In 1981, he was transferred to Boca Juniors, where he won the Metropolitano Championship, his only title in Argentina. After the 1982 World Cup in Spain, Maradona became the first footballer to achieve the record for the most expensive transfer in the world twice, moving to Barcelona for €7.3 million and then to Napoli in Italy for €12 million. In Spain, Diego won three national titles before moving to Italy in 1984. There, Maradona became one of Naples' most prominent figures, leading the team to two Serie A titles (1987, 1990) and the UEFA Cup, the club's only international trophy. After seven seasons with Napoli, during which he became the club's all-time leading scorer, Maradona left Italy after his first positive doping test in the 1990-91 season. In the final stage of his career, he played for Sevilla and Newell's Old Boys before returning to Boca Juniors in 1995 and finally retiring in 1997. With the Argentine national team, Maradona won the 1979 FIFA World Youth Championship, and with the senior team, he captained the side at the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico. In that tournament, he delivered one of the most outstanding individual performances in the history of the sport, scoring the two famous goals that gave his team the victory against England in the quarterfinals. The first goal is known as "the Hand of God," and the second as the "Goal of the Century," voted by FIFA as the best goal in the history of the 20th-century World Cup. In Italy in 1990, Argentina nearly repeated the same feat, but finished as runners-up. After a three-year absence due to doping problems, Maradona returned to help Argentina qualify for the 1994 World Cup in the United States. In that tournament, Diego again tested positive for drugs, this time for ephedrine, and was expelled from the competition. This contributed to Argentina's subsequent elimination in the round of 16. This would be his last appearance for the national team as a player.