FOOTBALL IS COMING HOME » Maradona

Golatoo! What Maradona Taught Me

Peter Alegi — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 12:18:46 +0000

Juan Manuel Olivera scores the winner for Al Wasl against Al Ain in the UAE league. Al Wasl’s head coach, Diego Armando Maradona, must be pleased to see his lessons translated into magical “golatos.”

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Gracias Dieguito!

Peter Alegi — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 06:07:14 +0000

Diego Armando Maradona’s charges are doing their exquisite best to keep South Africa 2010 from matching Italia ‘90 as the dullest World Cup in terms of quality of play. Argentina’s performances so far have been better than Germany, Uruguay, Brazil, and better than those of their likely semifinal adversaries: Spain.

Gracias Dieguito for quenching our thirst in a desert of scientific catenaccio. Maradona’s side produces a organized, attacking, flowing game. Gonzalo Higuain is the tournament’s leading scorer, with Carlitos Tevez close behind (what a strike against Mexico!). And, of course, King Leo is always eager to please ‘beggars for good football’ like me (Galeano docet).

One regret: Germany’s 4-1 victory yesterday in Bloemfontein denied us the pleasure of seeing Maradona take on England in the quarterfinals.

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Maradona is Coming to South Africa

Peter Alegi — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 02:28:37 +0000

Argentina’s 1-0 win in Montevideo ended the qualification telenovela. El Pibe’s charges earned their ticket to South Africa on the sacred ground of Centenario stadium, where Uruguay defeated Argentina in the inaugural World Cup final in 1930. So Maradona, with all his contradictions and flaws, got the job done. Improvisation can work. In South Africa, Diego hopes to realize his dream of meeting Nelson Mandela.

When I was growing up in Italy as a Juve fan (long story), I had no time for El Pibe. My idol was Michel Platini. After I moved to America, my view of Diego slowly began to change. Not only had he won the ‘86 World Cup almost single-HANDedly, but he then delivered Napoli’s first Italian titles (scudetti) while Platini bowed out of the game.

When I was in college in the late 1980s Italian football was difficult to find on TV. But I was lucky to be a few blocks from a small local station in Hartford (Conn.) that catered to a large Italian-American community. The transmitter had a range of only a few miles, but it got the RAI feed from New York! As a result, I got to delight in Diego’s magical, illuminating inventions, a sometimes perfect synthesis of creativity and pragmatism (i.e., goals, assists, wins). Of course, I was livid when his Argentina beat us in Naples on penalties at Italia ‘90 — the only Italy match I did not attend — but time has healed that painful wound.

Ultimately, as we know, Maradona’s injuries, drug use, and other off-the-field problems undermined his ability to do what he did best — play. His flaws and contradictions, regrettably, sank him lower and lower. Yet I remember that as the tide began to turn against Maradona in Italy (after the 1990 World Cup), he had the audacity and sincerity to go on national TV and say what no Italian dared to say. When the anchor asked him whether he was taking drugs, “Maracoca” shot back: “I am not doing anything captains of industry aren’t doing.” Maybe not the smartest thing to say, but absolutely true.

I have not yet seen Kusturica’s film, but here’s a clip of Maradona that inspired me back in the “good ol’ days”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJXqFGYenRY

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Subcommandante Maradona

David Patrick Lane — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 08:30:46 +0000

Paraguay have qualified. Chile can choke. Ecuador too. Argentina are at home to Peru next. Uruguay have superior goal difference. Venezuela are lurking. Colombia cannot be ruled out just yet.

There are so many permutations, yet it is difficult to discuss without getting drawn into the Argentine drama.

Argentina are in no more precarious a place than France or Germany. While the Fatherland could find themselves facing the Czech Republic in November, all Argentina may have to contend with is a collapsing Costa Rica.

Subcommandante Maradona said it best after the recent defeat in Paraguay, “We’ve qualified via the playoffs in the past and nobody died.” And if I remember rightly, it was Maradona himself who made sure a looping Australian deflection crossed the line in Buenos Aires in 1993.

The leader knows every inch of the terrain.

Yet, it would be remiss not to admit my affection for Argentina and Maradona could be clouding my judgment. I like to dream. In my dreams, there is always a blue sky, a few bright white clouds and Argentina stringing passes together and stinging shots towards goal.

The reality is different after Paraguay. Argentina is limping along the River Plate and is surrounded and being pursued by the Achilles, Ajax, Exeter and Cumberland of the South American battle group. It’s a long way to Costa Rica. Coming Soon….The Battle of the River Plate?

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When the Boot was on the Other Foot

David Patrick Lane — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 19:16:38 +0000

Argentina losing at home to Brazil was not so extraordinary. It had happened before. It was actually more noteworthy when several months earlier Uruguay lost a World Cup qualifier at home to Brazil. That had never happened before.

South American World Cup qualifiers are ultimately predictable affairs, the current Argentine drama notwithstanding. Earlier in the qualifiers, bigger questions hung over Brazil.

After 8 qualifiers more than a few Brazilians feared this would be the year Brazil failed to qualify. Four draws, three of them 0-0, including an embarrassing night in Rio de Janeiro, when Bolivia secured their first ever World Cup point in Brazil. It was more humbling than Brazil’s earlier defeat in Asunción

Somehow Dunga survived.

If Brazil had not beaten Venezuela in San Cristóbal last October, I doubt Dunga would have found himself shaking Maradona’s hand in Rosario last Sunday night.

It’s Venezuela, Brazil’s opposition that night, that now promises to be the story of the South American qualifiers.

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Argentina in Good Company

David Patrick Lane — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 14:49:07 +0000

Klaus Fischer’s famous bicycle kick.

Papers, podcasts and blogs are full of the demise of Argentina. Maradona makes good press. His Anglo detractors remain bitter. The Argentine domestic game is bankrupt. Yet, despite the noise, Argentina remain poised to qualify. The competition in South America is that stale. A home win against lowly Peru in October should almost certainly seal their South Atlantic passage.

Argentina’s poor form has somehow detracted attention from the failings of some of Europe’s marquee performers.

It may not be so obvious yet, except perhaps in the case of France, but Germany and Italy are also not yet assured of group success, and other notables such as Portugal have been missing in action. Germany and Italy may currently lead their respective groups, but both nations are responsible for some seriously disjointed football and a second place playoff remains a possibility for those three European football superpowers. Argentina is in good company.

Meanwhile, Africa’s Black Stars are shining bright, her Elephants are thundering South, her Indomitable Lions have been aroused and are hungry again, and her Desert Foxes are executing an cunning plan.

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Diego Maradona and the decline of Argentina

Editor — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 22:53:40 +0000

Yesterday Brazil beat Argentina 3-1 in Rosario, Argentina. Brazil qualified, but Argentina is just about holding onto the fourth automatic qualifying place for South Africa 2010. (The fifth placed Conmebol or South American team will face CONCACAF’s 4th placed side in a home-and-away play-off. The Americas could provide a tasty appetizer for South Africa: Argentina vs. Mexico anyone? Or get the popcorn out for the USA against Venezuela!)

Argentina has some tough qualifying games ahead (particularly Paraguay, and a trip to the Centenario in Montevideo). This could be the first time they fail to qualify since 1970. They are coached by one Diego Maradona, God to some Argentinian (and all Scottish) fans. And some observers and the country’s fans (this is sacrilege of course) think he (gasp) is the problem.

A Test of Faith in Argentina.

Dios Mio! Argentina in Trouble.

Critics round on Diego Maradona after Brazil twist knife against Argentina

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