A look at roller-coaster life of Argentina football legend Diego Maradona in pics

Maradona is fondly remembered for guiding Argentina to FIFA World Cup glory in 1986 with a stellar performance that captivated the hearts of millions of fans across the globe. He led his national side to a 3-2 win over West Germany in the final of the showpiece event at the Atzeca Stadium in Mexico City.

 

The football great brought up arguably two of the most famous goals in the history of the game during the quarter-final clash of the same event against England.

 

Popularly known as the 'Hand of God', Maradona's first goal came when he slotted the ball into the net with his bare hand. Just four minutes later, Maradona  single-handedly dribbled through the whole English defence to score past goalkeeper Peter Shilton for his second goal.(Image Credits: Reuters)

 

Late football star Diego Maradona could be seen balancing a ball on his head during a photocall at the 61st Cannes Film Festival in 2008 in France. 

 

Maradona was known for his astonishing dribbling skills, where he could easily outfox the defenders and provide assists or himself reach a goal-scoring position.(Picture Credits: Reuters)

 

Football great Diego Maradona could be seen posing with Barcelona star striker Lionel Messi, who is  well on the way to becoming one of Argentina's all-time greatest strikers. 

 

In fact, Argentinians saw a lot of Maradona in Messi --especially after the Barcelona striker bagged the No.10 jersey which the late player donned for years.

 

The duo also featured in the same side during a charity match in Argentina in 2005 when Maradona was 45-year-old and Messi was just 18. (Image Credits: IANS)

Argentina legend Diego Maradona can be seen kicking the ball during his visit to Kolkata in India on December 11, 2017 for ‘Diego versus Dada’ exhibition match. The legend, however, did not play in the charity football match - Match for Unity - due to an injury to his right hand.

 

Former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly played in the exhibition match and expressed happiness after meeting the Argentine great.

Argentina's coach Diego Maradona pauses while answering questions before the quarter-final clash of the FIFA World Cup against Germany in Cape Town.

 

The football legend took over as the coach of the national side prior to the 2010 edition of the showpiece event in South Africa. However, he failed to guide Argentina to a World Cup glory. (Image Credits: Reuters)

In the picture, Diego Maradona can be seen smoking a cigar with former Reuters Cuba correspondent Andrew Cawthorne in Havana.

 

Notably, the Argentine legend spent seven years in Napoli and his spells in the country was full of thrills, skills and controversy.

 

In March, 1991, the greatest footballer of his generation failed a drugs test after Napoli's league match against Bari. Maadona was handed a 15-month ban after traces of cocain were found in his sample and flew back to Italy during the night. Later, he was also arrested for drug possession in Buenos Aires.(Image Credits: Reuters)

Argentine great Diego Armando Maradona can be seen kicking the ball during a charity match, "Derby of the Heart", at the Olympic stadium in Rome

 

Notably, Maradona has also starred for numerous major clubs besides his national side namely Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli and Sevilla. The Argentinian great spent the prominent years of his playing career in Naples, for whom he  scored 81 goals in 181 league appearances.

 

The football great and his wife Claudia Villa strike a pose with Cuban President Fidel Castro.(Image Credits: Reuters)

Following his retirment from the game, Diego Maradona's health started to deteriorate because of his addiction to alcohol and drugs.

He recently also went under the knife for brain surgery and came out fighting. Maradona was also undergoing rehab for his alcohol addiction just days before his sudden death due to  a cardiac arrest. (Image Credits: IANS)