Diego Armando Maradona Quotes…
Argentinian football legend died at home, his lawyer has confirmed, a fortnight after leaving hospital following surgery for a blot clot in his brain.
Maradona is widely recognised as one of the greatest footballers of all time, leading Argentina to World Cup glory in 1986 where he gained notoriety for the ‘Hand of God’ goal against England.
He began his career at Argentinos Juniors before moving on to Boca Junior where he was quickly picked up by Barcelona.
Maradona achieved legendary status with Italian side Napoli, after helping the Serie A side win the title in 1987 and 1990, along with an Italian Cup in 1987 and a Uefa Cup in 1991.
Here are a selection of the best quotes about the former Boca Juniors, Napoli and Barcelona hero.
Diego Armando Maradona Quotes
I am black or white, I’ll never be grey in my life.
To see the ball, to run after it, makes me the happiest man in the world.
You can say a lot of things about me, but you can never say I don’t take risks.
My mother thinks I am the best. And I was raised to always believe what my mother tells me.
When you win, you don’t get carried away. But if you go step by step, with confidence, you can go far.
“I worked hard all my life for this. Those who say I don’t deserve anything, that it all came easy, can kiss my arse.”
There would be no debate about who was the best footballer the world had ever seen – me or Pele. Everyone would say me.
I am Maradona, who makes goals, who makes mistakes. I can take it all, I have shoulders big enough to fight with everybody.
God makes me play well. That is why I always make the sign of a cross when I walk out on to the pitch. I feel I would be betraying him if I didn’t.
At the moment there are some England players who are the stars of their club teams, but not for their country. It’s difficult to explain.
Quotes About Maradona
Pele tweeted, remembering the Argentine legend.
“What sad news”
“I lost a great friend and the world lost a legend. There is still much to be said, but for now, may God give strength to family members. One day, I hope we can play ball together in the sky”.
Vatican: Pope prays for Maradona, fondly recalls meeting him
“If anyone inspired me, it was undoubtedly (Maradona).” (Lionel Messi)
“Maradona will always be the greatest.” Eric Cantona
“In Argentine football there is a before and an after Maradona.” Julio Grondona, president of Argentina FA
“He was from another planet. He was different.” Francisco Cornejo, Maradona’s youth coach
“With him on the ball, you didn’t know where he finished and where the ball started.”( Jose Mourinho)
“Beyond everything else, no ball ever had a better experience than when it was at his left foot.”
Jorge Valdano
“Did he scare defenders? He scared absolutely everybody! You couldn’t play against him.”
John Barnes
On what the Gallaghers were told by Maradona’s interpreter at a party: “[Maradona] told me to tell you, if you leave with any of his b*tches, he’ll have you shot.” (Liam Gallagher)
“Maradona epitomized the mystique of the working class revolution: aloof and arrogant like the 1980s.” Manuel Vazquez Montalban, Spanish journalist
“When Diego scored that second goal against us, I felt like applauding. I’d never felt like that before, but it’s true… and not just because it was such an important game. It was impossible to score such a beautiful goal.
“He’s the greatest player of all time, by a long way. A genuine phenomenon.” (Gary Lineker)
“The best of the lot, no question. In my generation, my era, he was simply the best. I saw Maradona do things that God himself would doubt were possible
“He always had someone marking him, he always had someone hanging on to him, and yet he could still always conjure up wonderful pieces of magic. A genius.” .”( Zico)
“The most important characters in mythology were (the Greek gods) Apollo and Dionysus. Apollo represented reason and Dionysus represented emotion.
“Those who knew Maradona understand that he was the worst of Apollo, but the best of Dionysus.”
Luciano de Crescenzo, Italian journalist
“The best player I’ve seen in my life. He did things that didn’t seem humanly possible. When he was on top of his game, and even without training that much he was always in form, he was simply impossible to control.
“He decided matches alone, carrying average teams like Napoli, and Argentina in 1986, to glorious achievements. A genius.” (Marcel Desailly)
“I was very lucky to be his team-mate and get to play with him as well as watch him train every day. The things he did! He was and will always be unique”
“Off the pitch, I always liked his simplicity. He was Maradona, yet with the team he seemed just like an ordinary lad like the rest of us. He didn’t behave at all like a football star.” .(Gianfranco Zola)
“The best player I’ve ever played against, miles ahead of anyone else. As you saw in the World Cup quarter-final in 1986, I just couldn’t get near him – all I ever saw was his number 10!
“He had a low centre of gravity that shielded the ball, he had strength, pace and his passing was excellent. He also had a great leap for such a small man, as he showed with his Hand of God goal!”
Terry Butcher
