Diego Maradona, the making of an icon: Q & A with Professor Peter Donnelly

A graffiti of Diego Maradona on the streets of Buenos Aires. Cosmonaut (astronaut, in Spanish) is a reference to his out-of-this-world playing skills (image by flickr user Augustin Pollacia)
27/11/2020

News of soccer legend Diego Maradona dying this week at the age of 60 was met with an outpouring of sorrow from his many admirers around the world. In a classic tale of rags to riches, Maradona went from growing up in the poor outskirts of Buenos Aires in Argentina to international stardom. He played in four World Cups, helping Argentina win in 1986 and picking up the Golden Ball for best player of the tournament that year for himself. He won nine club titles with Boca Juniors (1), Barcelona (3) and Napoli (5). But, while he thrilled fans with his brilliance and skills on court, his career was also marked by controversies and a notorious lifestyle that led to alcoholism and addiction. Professor Peter Donnelly of the University of Toronto's Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education talked to us about what made Maradona such an iconic figure in sport and beyond.  

 

What made Diego Maradona such an icon?

First, he was a wonderful player. At 1.65m he was one of the smaller players, but had amazing dribbling skills, and a powerful left-footed shot. He played in four World Cup tournaments for Argentina (1982-1994), leading his country to win in 1986 and to the final in 1990. 

Second, he grew up in one of the poorest areas of Buenos Aires and went on to become a world famous celebrity -- the epitome of the rags to riches story. 

Third, his fame came at a time when it was dangerous and destructive to be so famous -- mass media attention and paparazzi followed him everywhere, wealthy and powerful (and criminal) people wanted to be seen with him, many wanted to make money out of him, and the celebrity lifestyle led to drug addiction and mental health problems. Celebrities have now learned to protect themselves better from such constant attention and destructive lifestyles. His two goals against England, knocking them out of the 1986 World Cup in the quarter finals, came to represent the contradictory nature of his reputation -- the first scored by what appeared to be a deliberate hand ball, the second named by FIFA as the greatest goal in the history of the World Cup. 

Fourth, his popularity was associated with his ongoing love for the game, and his increasing identification with the poor and powerless. [He had a tattoo of Fidel Castro on his left leg; and of Che Guevara on his right arm.] 

Finally, his drug addiction at a time, and in places where addiction was treated as a crime rather than an illness, eventually led to a downward spiral in his health, and his early and unexpected death -- unexpected because he had been close to death in 2007 and had recovered; and he had recently been released from hospital after successful brain surgery.

Many Argentines saw the 1986 England match as revenge for their country's loss to Britain in the 1982 war over the Falkland Islands. What is it about soccer that often makes it more than a game? When does sport transcend sport?

Sport transcends sport frequently, whenever its meaning is used to further political or ideological goals it becomes 'more than a game.' In the search for 'the great White hope' to defeat Jack Johnson in boxing at the start of the 20th century, sport was about race relations. Hitler attempted to use the 1936 Olympics to celebrate Aryan supremacy and nazi ideology. For 40 years, the Cold War between capitalism and communism was largely fought on the fields of international sport. And even Canadian pride in success at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics was used to promote a more chauvinistic form of patriotism. In addition to 'revenge' over England, Maradona led the Napoli football team to its only two national championships. When Argentina beat Italy in the 1990 World Cup (in Italy) semi-final, many Italian fans of Napoli cheered for Argentina -- touching off another round of divisive politics (rich North vs. poor South) in Italy. The meaning of the 2022 Beijing Olympics and Qatar World Cup are already being determined in terms of human rights and international relations.

What athlete, not necessarily in soccer, would you name as Maradona’s heir, for his playing abilities and charisma?

Difficult question. Pele is still well-loved, but has not commanded the same post-career media attention a Maradona. The two best current players (Messi and Ronaldo) do not (yet) have the charisma of Maradona. Media coverage of Maradona's death has been global, and perhaps only Muhammad Ali's death in 2016 saw a similar outpouring of grief and media attention. 

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say, perhaps Usain Bolt. His unmatched success and charisma could make him Maradona's heir, the key will be what he does with the rest of his life.