Wednesday 14 July 2010

Maradona by Kusturica

Late last night I sat and watched this documentary. Being football mad I like to think I know a lot about football and footballers of past and present. However, Diego Armando Maradona is a player who's infamy overshadowed his ability in my opinion. Everyone has seen the goal of the century he scored against England which was absolutely phenomenal, but personally I couldn't be a fully fledged fan of Maradona's due to his "Hand of God' goal. Until last night.

I'd never seen a great deal of Maradona playing as he was before my time and not of interest to me due to his apparent lack of morals. What came across to me last night was that whether you agree with actions or not he does have certain moral standards. Fair enough he cheated, and badly, by scoring with his hand against England in 86 and has had a very tempestuous life off the field. But... he came across like a man who knows he has done wrong and doesn't mean to. He also has a strong morally based outlook on life and this is reflected in his view on world leaders and politics. He may be a difficult individual at the best of times and has made several major mistakes, but he has also made some honorable decisions. He chose Boca Juniors over River Plate when he was younger despite the lure of big money from the opposite camp. He also understands that when he plays football he is inspiring an entire nation of people who's lives are effected by his every kick of the ball.

Argentineans are football mad and Maradona is hailed as a God. Literally! There is an actual church of Maradona where people worship the little man and have their own Lord's prayer centered around him. But is it all hype? Was he really that good?

The documentary brought to light an absolutely boat load of Maradona's goals that I had never seen before. Runs that saw him jink passed several players with the ball seemingly stuck to his foot. I have never seen anyone have total control over a football like Maradona. It really opened my eyes to how great a player he truly was. He single handedly won Argentina two world cups and Napoli, who were nobodies before his arrival, to the italian league. I have changed my view on Maradona since watching Kustrurica's documentary. Well worth a watch if you can admire the beauty of football.

Diego Armando Maradona - my apologies for doubting your abilities.

No comments:

Post a Comment