Diego Maradona - footage

OnTheCouch · 30-04-2014 11:13am

Maradona was also far more of a playmaker than either Messi or Ronaldo, which (even allowing for more ruthless defending back then) can explain to some degree his inferior goal tally in comparison.

Interestingly enough - even though he didn't start as far out from the goal, I always felt the second goal against Belgium in the 86 semi-final was as good or better than the one against England, more direct or clinical or something.

kfallon · 30-04-2014 11:14am

OnTheCouch wrote: »

Interestingly enough - even though he didn't start as far out from the goal, I always felt the second goal against Belgium in the 86 semi-final was as good or better than the one against England, more direct or clinical or something.

His balance for that goal was unreal, how he doesn't fall over after shooting is beyond me!

FatherTed · 30-04-2014 1:08pm

My favourite player of all time. But Argentina on his back and dragged them to victory in the WC. I remember the biggest surprise in the final was that HE didn't score but did set up the goals. Then he did the same with Napoli in Serie A. Amazing balance, he was obviously short and a bit stocky so it was hard to knock him over. It makes me laugh at the players nowadays who fall down if someone farts near them.

I'll deviate a little but Paul McGrath did a brilliant job marking him a few times - in the Man Utd-barca ECWC quarters and then later in the anniversary of the English Football League match, I think it was about 1986. I know it was just a friendly but still...

30-04-2014 1:33pm

No Maradona thread would be complete without this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hy6oMPsKC6k

kfallon · 30-04-2014 1:39pm

I can't see YouTube clips posted on Boards while in work but this is a classic Maradona clip (presuming I have the right link), one of my favourites

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZ2976_rR_s

shamrock55 · 30-04-2014 1:44pm

Players hunted him down in packs and still couldnt get 5he ball off him, his power and strength were incredible, the greatest player ever i think,

can anyone put up the pic of him with the ball against belgium in 86 world cup, that pic for me sums up maradonna i think its one of footballs most iconic pics i would do it but dont know how

kfallon · 30-04-2014 1:47pm

adox · 30-04-2014 1:48pm

shamrock55 wrote: »

Players hunted him down in packs and still couldnt get 5he ball off him, his power and strength were incredible, the greatest player ever i think,

can anyone put up the pic of him with the ball against belgium in 86 world cup, that pic for me sums up maradonna i think its one of footballs most iconic pics i would do it but dont know how

Edit: Beaten to it.

kfallon · 30-04-2014 1:49pm

Btw it's from 1982 and I think Maradona has just received the ball from a broken down free kick, hence why all the Belgian players are in a group (they were the wall)

30-04-2014 1:52pm

kfallon wrote: »

I can't see YouTube clips posted on Boards while in work but this is a classic Maradona clip (presuming I have the right link), one of my favourites

Christ he was just at complete harmony with the ball.

Gary Lineker once gave an anecdote about a charity game he played with Maradona back in the 80s. Maradona ran out and kicked the ball vertically upright in a straight line you could say as high into the air as he can. Ball came down and he met it on the volley right up again, ball came back down another volley. Almost like your keepie uppies only going 80-100 feet into the air before it comes back down to his foot. It isnt every professional footballer even that could anticipate where the ball was going to land but Maradona could have probably done it for as long as he liked.

shamrock55 · 30-04-2014 1:53pm

adox wrote: »

Edit: Beaten to it.

Jesus thats gas, just a min before i posted, thanks for putting it up its a great pic, and i think your right it was 82

OnTheCouch · 30-04-2014 1:56pm

kfallon wrote: »

Btw it's from 1982 and I think Maradona has just received the ball from a broken down free kick, hence why all the Belgian players are in a group (they were the wall)

Yeah it's a great example of how photos can be deceiving. Even though Maradona looks imperious in that split second, Belgium actually contained him pretty well, won the game 1-0 and as you say, if you see the actual game, it simply comes about because the ball happened to ricochet off the wall after a free-kick and fell at Maradona's feet, so the Belgians were just breaking up from forming said wall.

Ironically enough four years later he would utterly dominate the same opposition in the semi-final, one of the best invididual performances I have ever seen.

kfallon · 30-04-2014 2:00pm

Deleted User wrote: »

Christ he was just at complete harmony with the ball.

Gary Lineker once gave an anecdote about a charity game he played with Maradona back in the 80s. Maradona ran out and kicked the ball vertically upright in a straight line you could say as high into the air as he can. Ball came down and he met it on the volley right up again, ball came back down another volley. Almost like your keepie uppies only going 80-100 feet into the air before it comes back down to his foot. It isnt every professional footballer even that could anticipate where the ball was going to land but Maradona could have probably done it for as long as he liked.

There's a great piece of skill in one of the compilation vids where he is standing behind a small 5-a-side goal in training and he is doing keep ups but with every keep up he is putting more and more backspin on the ball. Eventually when he has enough backspin he kicks the ball over the crossbar, it lands and then spins back into the goal.

I'd say the players he trained with couldn't wait to get into training every day to see what he was going to do!

30-04-2014 2:00pm

kfallon wrote: »

Btw it's from 1982 and I think Maradona has just received the ball from a broken down free kick, hence why all the Belgian players are in a group (they were the wall)

Looking at their faces though you could almost sense the fear at seeing Maradona with a bit of space and the ball at his feet. Sort of like 'Oh here we go again'.

Maximus Alexander · 30-04-2014 2:06pm

One thing I can't help but notice in that video is how poor a lot of the defending is. The defenders keep closing him down and slide tackling at the first opportunity. Do neither of those.

kfallon · 30-04-2014 2:07pm

Maximus Alexander wrote: »

One thing I can't help but notice in that video is how poor a lot of the defending is. The defenders keep closing him down and slide tackling at the first opportunity. Do neither of those.

The slide tackles are attempts to break his leg :pac:

Jimmy Iovine · 30-04-2014 8:08pm

kfallon wrote: »

Have a look at this.

http://www.thescore.ie/diego-maradona-picture-938745-Jun2013/

Never mind I've just seen your other comment.

Lennonist · 01-05-2014 10:20am

keano_afc wrote: »

That Bilbao game was after he had his leg broken by Goikoetxea I think, there was a lot of bad feeling about it. That was an absolutely shocking tackle on him also, I think he ended up getting hepatitis from it. Could be wrong there.

The Butcher of Bilbao they called him. Maradona would've been protected today from that kind of thuggery, but the thuggery also made up part of what he was - hard as nails. You wont see the like of him again.

kfallon · 01-05-2014 10:40am

Lennonist wrote: »

The Butcher of Bilbao they called him. Maradona would've been protected today from that kind of thuggery, but the thuggery also made up part of what he was - hard as nails. You wont see the like of him again.

He actually got the boot he used to break Maradona's leg framed!!!