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Sportshour: Memories of the magical Maradona

Discussion & Talk

Resting in the Hands of God: Memories of magical Maradona

28/11/2020 GMT

Memories of the magical Maradona

BBC World Service - Sportshour, Memories of the magical Maradona

We hear some very special memories of Diego Maradona - who has passed away aged 60.

Arguably the greatest footballer of all time, Diego Maradona, passed away aged 60 this week after suffering a heart attack.

Maradona won the World Cup with Argentina in 1986 – scoring the 'goal of the century' and becoming renowned for his controversial ‘Hand of God’ goal, both of which came against England in the quarter-final of that tournament.

The footballing world has been brought to a standstill with tributes flooding in from across the globe. Argentina announced three days of national mourning and there were huge celebrations of Maradona's life in the capital Buenos Aires and in the Italian city of Naples, where Maradona became a hero for delivering Napoli's only two league titles. 

Sportshour explores the legacy that Maradona leaves; bringing you reaction from around the globe to his death from the people he impacted the most. 

Director of the acclaimed 2019 Diego Maradona documentary, Asif Kapadia, tells the story of Maradona’s sensational life. He discusses Maradona’s difficult upbringing in poverty, how the 1986 World Cup lifted him to superstardom and how he ended up in the hands of the Mafia in Naples.

Our search for Diego's legacy even takes us to the second tier of Scottish Football, and the Alloa Athletic winger Adam Brown. At the age of 13 and playing for Celtic, Brown had an unforgettable chance encounter with Diego Maradona that involved the Hand of God lifting him into the air.  

We also hear from Jon Smith, Maradona's agent during his time at Napoli. Smith tells us there were two people; Diego and Maradona. And he reveals how he managed to help Maradona get special dispensation from the Naples police to skip red traffic lights. 

Maradona’s legacy is undoubtedly cemented in football but what about other sports? He was often seen cheering on the Pumas, the Argentina men’s rugby union team. We go to Argentina and speak to rugby journalist Frankie Deges to see how the country has reacted to Maradona’s passing and to discuss the impact he had on the sport.

And Sporting Witness relives the infamous story of that World Cup quarter-final against England in 1986 in Mexico City, with former England striker Gary Lineker telling us what it was like to see the 'Hand of God' and the 'goal of the century' in the flesh. 

Photo: Diego Maradona at the 1986 World Cup for Argentina (Getty Images)

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