Diego Maradona

[Elisha_Scott]

As some of you will be aware, I am doing some research on top 50 players in world footie.

 

I am currently wading through the mountains of stuff on Diego. Does anyone have any good stats or interesting facts about the little ex-fat genius?

 

I have loads to go on, but I know there are plenty of anoraks on here, so any contributions are appreciated.

[Guest Snorky]

He's a cheating, drug taking fat little c***.

 

HTH.

[Gooner Spy]

He's a cheating, drug taking fat little c***.

 

HTH.

 

Heh, was waiting for that!

[Elisha_Scott]

He's a cheating, drug taking fat little c***.

 

HTH.

 

He is not fat anymore, off drugs too. And it was Shiltons fault!

[Guest Anders Honoré]

stats I read here and there, no links:

 

most fouled player in serie a ever

best freekick conversion rate in the serie a ever

 

don't know when they started recording this stuff though.

 

Think he also broke a fair amount of youngest ever records in argentina - only 16 when he got called up for his first cap I think?

 

One thing I think is worth bringing attention to is his passing. Everyone remembers his astonishing technique and dribbling but his passing and vision was truly out of this world. I think you can find some youtube videos featuring passes only from him and there were several I had to go back and watch a few times as i simply couldn't fathom how he could spot that pass. If anyone ever had panoramic vision of the pitch and understanding of patterns, diego was it.

 

I think it was michael laudrup (?) I once heard tell a story about how when napoli played juve, diego came out without his shoeloaces tied. He spent the first 15 minutes taking the piss out of the juve defenders. Then he tied his shoelaces.

 

Surely he is no 1 or is it random order?

Edited May 22, 2008 by Anders Honoré

[Mike]

[Guest Anders Honoré]

If anyone ever had panoramic vision of the pitch and understanding of patterns, diego was it.

 

which reminds me of something I read from Valdano somewhere online, about that goal against england. Afterwards, maradona told jorge he had spotted him, but he thought he could score it himself. Valdano remarked that it was one thing that he could score a goal like that, but to do it while keeping an eye out for your teammate is just plain unfair. Something like that anyway. Thought it was funny when I read it, worth digging up if you can find it.

[Swipe]

He's in Cannes at the moment, promoting a documentary on his life.

 

Remember reading about Gary Lineker saying he once saw him warm up for a game by doing some keepy ups.

 

He was kicking the ball way up into the air, straight as an arrow, when it came back down he just kicked it again first time and it went straight up into the air again. Again, staight as an arrow. Didn't move from the spot.

Edited May 22, 2008 by Swipe

[fyds]

Didn't he faint on TV once when being approached by some beauty queen? One of his less than amicable Argentina team mates also told the national press he had a really small dick.

[Gooner Spy]

Didn't he faint on TV once when being approached by some beauty queen? One of his less than amicable Argentina team mates also told the national press he had a really small dick.

 

It wouldnt be surprising if he did have a tiny dick. Especially after his years of cocaine abuse!

[fyds]

It wouldnt be surprising if he did have a tiny dick. Especially after his years of cocaine abuse!

Some may say the attributes of his organ describe the man.

[DazzlaJ]

It wouldnt be surprising if he did have a tiny dick. Especially after his years of cocaine abuse!

 

Button Mushroom, we've all been there

[Gooner Spy]

Button Mushroom, we've all been there

 

We have?

[Stevie H]

he's supposed to have had almost panoramic eyesight when he was a player, could literally see things others couldn't. remember reading a quote from valdano about the second goal against england in '86 that he was screaming for maradona to pass to him but diego just kept on going, saying to valdano after that he'd seen him but thought he could do it himself. as well as beating half the england team he could still see valdano out the corner of his eye.

[fyds]

he's supposed to have had almost panoramic eyesight when he was a player, could literally see things others couldn't. remember reading a quote from valdano about the second goal against england in '86 that he was screaming for maradona to pass to him but diego just kept on going, saying to valdano after that he'd seen him but thought he could do it himself. as well as beating half the england team he could still see valdano out the corner of his eye.

He had good peripheral vision - not all that unusual. My peripheral vision is excellent though overall my longsightedness is appalling. What helped him against England was the defence was clod-hopping kak.

[Gooner Spy]

which reminds me of something I read from Valdano somewhere online, about that goal against england. Afterwards, maradona told jorge he had spotted him, but he thought he could score it himself. Valdano remarked that it was one thing that he could score a goal like that, but to do it while keeping an eye out for your teammate is just plain unfair. Something like that anyway. Thought it was funny when I read it, worth digging up if you can find it.

 

he's supposed to have had almost panoramic eyesight when he was a player, could literally see things others couldn't. remember reading a quote from valdano about the second goal against england in '86 that he was screaming for maradona to pass to him but diego just kept on going, saying to valdano after that he'd seen him but thought he could do it himself. as well as beating half the england team he could still see valdano out the corner of his eye.

 

Deja Vu?

[Gooner Spy]

He had good peripheral vision - not all that unusual. My peripheral vision is excellent though overall my longsightedness is appalling. What helped him against England was the defence was clod-hopping kak.

 

My long range and peripheral vision are both without fault. It's always been my inability to play an accurate pass over more than 5 yards that prevented me hitting Maradonna's heights as a footballer.

[fyds]

My long range and peripheral vision are both without fault. It's always been my inability to play an accurate pass over more than 5 yards that prevented me hitting Maradonna's heights as a footballer.

I was a decent CB, if not spectacular. If played further forward I'd have only been any use in a Hamann type role - no speed for anything else. Passing, heading and shooting were good, but I'd be slower than a turtle with parkinsons.

[Gooner Spy]

I was a decent CB, if not spectacular. If played further forward I'd have only been any use in a Hamann type role - no speed for anything else. Passing, heading and shooting were good, but I'd be slower than a turtle with parkinsons.

 

yeah, pace was never my strong point either. One of my PE teachers once told me that I had a great football brain, but other limitations meant that I should focus this intelligence on computer games.

 

Harsh, but ultimately fair.

[DazzlaJ]

I was a dynamo and I could have gone on to make a damn fine player, a few trials and that. I then discovered birds and booze, but I still look back with regret and what would've have panned out had I been dedicated or perhaps had the right leadership.

[fyds]

I still play 5 a side at an age and with others (mostly younger than me) where speed is no longer that important in the legs, more in the thought. One half knackered knee and the other almost wholly so finished off whatever footballing ambitions I may have had decades ago.

 

I do some kids coaching now though and much to my surprise have the little buggers playing quite well - there seem to be a few of us on here doing it and it's more fun than I thought it would be.

[Stevie H]

Deja Vu?

hmm, who posted the previous one? odd.

[cymrococh]

I was f*cking ace and still am. I just couldn't be arsed.

[Guest Anders Honoré]

He's in Cannes at the moment, promoting a documentary on his life.

 

Remember reading about Gary Lineker saying he once saw him warm up for a game by doing some keepy ups.

 

He was kicking the ball way up into the air, straight as an arrow, when it came back down he just kicked it again first time and it went straight up into the air again. Again, staight as an arrow. Didn't move from the spot.

 

I remember that one. Lineker said that was something he would ask his most talented teammates to replicate later on, none of them could do it.

[Guest Kaizer]

He has just said there are too many Ben Johnson and Carl Lewis like kind of footballers in the game today, they can run fast and work hard, but when it comes to controlling the ball it gets a bit more difficult.

 

Could he be more right?