The past few years of football have been dominated by two superstars, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Both of them have been unstoppable for their respective clubs and have only shown signs of slowing down this season. However, the eras before this one were defined by the likes of Diego Maradona and Pele.
Pele was a Brazilian striker who played at the top level of football for a very long time. On the other hand, Maradona was one of the most enigmatic superstars to ever grace the game. He didn’t stay at the top for very long, but the Argentinian forward touched the lives of millions of people.
The things that he could do with a football have still not been replicated as Maradona’s class and elegance remains unparalleled.
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Maradona’s Hand of God jersey
After Maradona’s passing in 2020, the world of football mourned and remembered one of the greatest players to ever grace the game. His greatest achievements came with Argentina, like his World Cup triumph in 1986.
That World Cup also featured one of the best performances from an individual in a single match from Maradona. In Argentina’s match against England, Maradona scored two goals to help Argentina progress to the semi-finals of the tournament.
He scored the infamous Hand-of-god goal in that match. He jumped to head a ball in the England goal, but the ball hit his hand and went in, something that the referees missed. As a result, the goal was controversially awarded and remains one of the most famous goals of all time.
The jersey that Maradona was wearing in that match recently sold for a whopping $9.28 million in an auction in London. It broke the record for the most money ever paid for a match-worn jersey, surpassing the previous $5.64 million paid for Babe Ruth’s jersey.
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Diego Maradona and his World Cup victory in 1986
Maradona helped carry Argentina to the promised land in 1986 by winning the World Cup against West Germany in the final.
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He scored five goals in the tournament and added five assists. He also won the Golden Ball in the tournament and immortalized himself in the history of the game.
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