I tend to recall years gone by in terms of sporting highlights. For example, in 1986 we had the World Cup in Mexico and Mike Tyson becoming the youngest heavyweight champion.
In footballing terms, 1986, from my perspective, was a vintage year - first off, Liverpool won the league title and then secured a come from behind victory to see off Liverpool's other team in the FA Cup final at Wembley , Ian Rush scoring twice. But the creme de la creme was the World Cup in Mexico when a global audience bore witness to the mercurial, incomparable genius that is Diego Armando Maradona. As I mentioned before, I used to read A LOT and while it wasn't until 1986 that I saw him play on tv - the articles I read about him left an indelible impression on me.
In Italy vs Argentina match, the Italians successfully failed to kick Maradona off the park then up next was England vs Argentina. Now I must admit that when I watched the first goal, I thought that by virtue of a prodigious leap, Maradona had used his head to score the goal - the referee was with me on this. England like to harp on about that first goal, as if it would have changed anything - you can't change destiny! I think they do it to deflect attention from the second goal where Maradona slalomed his way through the entire English midfield and defence to score THAT goal - GAME OVER!! John Barnes came on as a substitute and supplied the cross that gave England a consolation goal. Meanwhile, Brazil vs France served up one of the best games in World Cup history. I gleefully remember Zico & Socrates prematurely celebrating the award of a penalty after Zico had been fouled in the box - justice was done when the penalty was saved. The triumvirate of Alain Giresse, Michel Platini and Jean Tigana held court and France saw off Brazil. Gary Lineker should be thankful that Maradona didn't steal his thunder by scoring in the final otherwise the former would have had to share his Golden Shoe with the latter. Personally, I think Maradona was more pleased with his Golden Ball award, the equivalent of an MVP.
On the day of the World Cup final, the school gymnasium was packed with Argentine and German supporters. As the camera moves along the Argentine line-up, the watching viewer experiences a sensation of freefall as it drops considerably to bring number 10 into view. The match begins, and Brown puts Argentina ahead. Valdano adds a second, but the Germans respond with goals from Rummenigge and Voller. 7 minutes from time and Argentina are on the counter attack. Maradona releases Burruchaga, who times his run to perfection, to score the winning goal. I gained enormous satisfaction from Argentina's World Cup Victory, after all, I had predicted it 2 years earlier.
Maradona was the architect Argentina's 1986 World Cup Victory and 4 years later, he would get them to the final of a World Cup once more - he was as indispensable to Argentina as he was to Napoli (he steered them to the Scudetto in 1987 and 1990). Without Maradona, Argentina would not have won the World Cup in 1986 and Napoli would not have won their Scudettos. Maradona inspired his team mates to raise their game to his level for the duration required to complete the move he had orchestrated. This is why for me, Maradona is the greatest. I would argue that even without Pele, Brazil would still have won the World Cup in 1970 because he was the brightest star in a team full of stars such as Carlos Alberto, Jairzinho and Rivelino (think icing on top of a cake). In contrast, Argentina's 1986 World Cup winning team had Jorge Valdano, who went on to have a successful career at Real Madrid, but Maradona had a lot less gems to work with, which makes his achievements all the more impressive. At Italia '90, Brazil vs Argentina was a surprising second round encounter. The Brazilians dominated possession for most of the 90 minutes, but failed to score. And then, in a split second Maradona did his thing to release Claudio Caniggia who converted his chance with aplomb and Brazil were OUT!!
Diego Armando Maradona, I SALUTE YOU - thankyou for some truly unforgettable memories.
1 comment:
i read your blogs, very interesting. but you didnt do justice to the Pele-Maradona comparison. i would like you to watch the video 'the giants of brazil' before your premature crowning of armando as the greatest. i agree with you that pele was a superstar in star- studded brazil teams, but you have not mentioned anything about his exploits while playing for santos.pele was a more prolific goal scorer than maradona. i dont recall armando scoring with his head or scoring with a bicycle kick. pele played in an era where defenders were allowed to do almost anything to stop forwards. to armando's credit, yes, he made those around him elevate their game and he could take over a game solo. no one, not even pele, has ever been able to do that on a soccer field. he could carry his team to victory on his shoulders. and when the stage was big, armando always lived up to our expectations and more.
pele is obscure nowadays because brazil has produced very many talented players since his heydays. but when you think of argentina, only one name comes up, the dimunitive diego armando maradona.
so in summary, pele was a complete package, in and out of the soccer field. maradona was more captivating, more entertaining to watch, and did a lot more on the field with his 'limited abilities' (couldnt head the ball, couldnt use his right foot). armando was a general on the soccer field. they played in very different eras and we were priveleged to watch only one of them playing LIVE on tv. and he certainly gave us our monies worth!! to be honest with you, i love armando more than pele and i dont like comparing them.
Post a Comment