Updated: February 18, 2020 2:26:28 pm
Diego Maradona being unveiled as a Napoli player on July 5, 1984, in front of a crowd of 75,000 at the Stadio San Paolo. (Source: AP Photo)
Diego Maradona’s character on and off the pitch has always made the headlines, which is also showcased by how the Argentine legend had once defied his the then club, Napoli to play in a charity match. Just after his move to Napoli in the summer of 1984, Maradona, who was then only 23, reportedly played in a charity match in the suburbs of Naples despite the club’s objections.
In 1984, against the wishes of his club Napoli, Diego Maradona played in a charity match for a sick child in one of the poorest suburbs of Naples.
He scored a couple of goals, including this: pic.twitter.com/p7BPfgQSoM
— Football Mumble (@football_mumble) February 17, 2020
In the clip, the forward is seen winning the ball from a player with a shoulder push, and then dancing his way past two defenders through the centre of the pitch, and evading the goalkeeper to ultimately put the ball in the net.
After moving to the Serie A club in July 1984, Diego Maradona made waves following his moderate success with Argentina in the 1982 World Cup, where he had scored two goals in his five appearances. His move from Barcelona completely changed the city and club, as he led Napoli to their first-ever league title in 1986/87.
Here’s further footage from the day #DiegoMaradona pic.twitter.com/GwpYg54vHH
— Football Mumble (@football_mumble) February 17, 2020
During his seven-year stay at the club, Maradona helped Napoli win their second league title in 1989/90, and also guided them to finish runners-up in the league twice, in 1987/88 and 1988/89. He also won the Coppa Italia in 1987, the UEFA Cup in 1989 and the Supercoppa Italiana in 1990.
Maradona scored a brilliant 115 goals during his time, where he was hailed as the best in the world. He also won the 1986 World Cup for Argentina, scoring five goals and making five assists in the tournament.
In June 2019, a feature-length documentary directed by Asif Kapadia was released which was based on his time in Napoli. Produced from over 500 hours of footage from Maradona’s personal archive by the Academy Award-winning team behind “Senna”, the film traced his on and off the pitch exploits in Italy during the 1980s. Our review of the film noted: “…there’s plenty to enjoy. Visuals of Maradona, culled from 500 hours of previously unseen footage (the discovery of which is itself worth a documentary), weaving his magic on the football field and then losing his grip away from it.”
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