Last week, the great Diego Maradona passed away at the age of 60 from a heart attack. Three days of mourning was announced in his home country of Argentina, and he received a state funeral – an honor only seven Argentinian presidents have received. Tens of thousands of his fans gathered to pay their respects.
It was a sign of his cult-like following, the way he was worshipped not just in Argentina and in Napoli (where he spent seven glorious seasons), but around the globe. Fan reverence of him bordered on idolatry – indeed, he was often referred to as “God” by many, including Maradona himself. Maybe it was because the things that he did on the pitch were superhuman (the life he lived off it was also legendary). In the 1980s and early 90s, Maradona was a cultural icon and one of the most famous people on the planet. He was also one of the most controversial celebrities of all time.
Last year, Oscar-winning documentarian Asif Kapadia gave us Diego Maradona, one of the most searching and searingly honest portrayals of a sportsman, especially for a figure still alive at the time of release. The documentary focuses on the period of Maradona’s life in the 1980s when the spotlight was the brightest: he was lifting his club Napoli to untold heights, and won the World Cup in 1986. It also delves deep into his personal life. Kapadia tells the story completely with archival footage (much of it never before seen), not relying on any talking heads at all.
In one of the most memorable football matches ever played, Maradona scored two goals against England in the World Cup that will live on forever in history – one was called the “Goal of the Century”, and the other the infamous “Hand of God”. Kapadia uses these two goals to show us the two dichotomies of Maradona, each a different side of the same coin – he was a genius, one of the most gifted footballers to ever walk the earth. He was also petty, hot-tempered, lived life to the fullest, and had a confidence born of never worrying about the consequences of his actions.
The two sides of Maradona is what made him so enigmatic. The awe with which his peers spoke about him made more sense once you saw him do things with a football that were scarcely believable. The great Michel Platini once said, “what Zidane could do with a football, Maradona could do with an orange.” Easily one of the five best footballers ever (with many claiming he was the greatest), Maradona was powerfully built – barrel chested, floppy haired, big smile, and thick legs that were always dancing, with a ball or without. His low center of gravity and velvet soft touch would have been even more unstoppable in today’s game, with the smooth pitches, technologically aerodynamic balls, and referee protections. The documentary becomes even more fascinating when it examines the darker sides of Maradona’s life – his constant scandals, the drug addictions, his involvement with the mafia, and the illegitimate children that he never acknowledged.
Kapadia embraces the complexities of Maradona, and his willingness to do so gives us one of the best character studies in sports documentaries. Combining the party animal lifestyle and cultural rebelliousness of Allen Iverson with the winning history and impact of Michael Jordan, Diego Maradona was a tour de force, an irresistible and utterly unique icon, and his legacy will last forever.
Streaming now on HBO Max.
