This practice, long established in the major North American sports, is a recent development in football since squad numbers for specific players were not widely used until the 1990s. He was one of the two joint winners of the FIFA Player of the 20th Century award. In 2017, Maradona became the coach of Fujairah before leaving at the end of the season. "[135], —Lionel Messi, the player most closely identified with the "New Maradona" label[69], One of Maradona's trademark moves was dribbling full-speed on the right wing, and on reaching the opponent's goal line, delivering accurate passes to his teammates. Sell your ceiling then amigo, do something! Association football clubs around the world sometimes retire squad numbers to recognise players' loyal service, most as a memorial after their death. He was obese from the end of his playing career until undergoing gastric bypass surgery in a clinic in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, on 6 March 2005. Later his number was retired again posthumous when he died on 4 December 2012. This is the shirt number history of Diego Maradona from Karriereende. Number: 10: Nickname: El Pibe de Oro, Barrilete Cosmico: Traits: Technical Dribbler: Maradona Salary & Net Worth How much did Diego Maradona earn? [202], By 1982, Maradona had become one of the biggest sports stars in the world and had endorsements with many companies, including Puma and Coca-Cola, earning him an additional $1.5 million per year on top of his club salary.

Outfield players have worn the number since his retirement. ", "Auf Wiedersehen, Raul! ", "I asked myself, 'Who is this man? An advanced playmaker who operated in the classic number 10 position, Maradona was the first player in football history to set the world record transfer fee twice, first when he transferred to Barcelona for a then world record £5 million, and second, when he transferred to Napoli for another record fee £6.9 million. He was a leader, taking his teams to the very top, but also many lows in his career. Hounded for years by the press, Maradona once fired a compressed-air rifle at reporters who he claimed were invading his privacy. Maradona has no peers inside the pitch, but he has turned his life into a show, and is now living a personal ordeal that should not be imitated. [91], Rochdale retired the number 55 shirt on 13 January 2017 in honour of five-year old Joshua McCormack who lost his battle with cancer. [238], From the mid-1980s until 2004, Maradona was addicted to cocaine. "[93] In a 2009 article for CBC Sports, John Molinaro described the goal as "the greatest ever scored in the tournament – and, maybe, in soccer. In Japanese footballing tradition, almost all the professional teams retired the number 12 for their supporters. [68], Speaking thirty years later on the impact of Maradona's performances in 1979, FIFA President Sepp Blatter stated, "Everyone has an opinion on Diego Armando Maradona, and that’s been the case since his playing days. [77], —Bryon Butler's BBC Radio commentary on Maradona's second goal against England[78], Maradona's second goal, just four minutes after the hotly disputed hand-goal, was later voted by FIFA as the greatest goal in the history of the World Cup. They all speak of the fact that he did not train, but it was not true because Diego was the last person to leave the pitch, it was necessary to send him away because otherwise he would stay for hours to invent free kicks. After the defeat to Germany, Maradona admitted that he was considering his future as Argentina coach, stating, "I may leave tomorrow. Attacking Midfield, Former International: [39] First a bout of hepatitis, then a broken ankle in a La Liga game at the Camp Nou in September 1983 caused by an ill-timed tackle by Athletic Bilbao's Andoni Goikoetxea, threatened to jeopardize Maradona's career, but with treatment and therapy, it was possible for him to return to the pitch after a three-month recovery period. Bursaspor reserve the number 16 for their supporters. My most vivid recollection is of this incredibly gifted kid at the second FIFA U-20 World Cup in Japan in 1979. Maradona did so in 1979 and 1986, which Messi emulated in 2005 and 2014. He coached Dubai-based club Al Wasl in the UAE Pro-League for the 2011–12 season.

A rolling series of impromptu street parties and festivities broke out contagiously across the city in a round-the-clock carnival which ran for over a week. "[95], Maradona captained Argentina again in the 1990 World Cup in Italy to yet another World Cup final. [7] After two months in charge he left the club on 19 November.

It was later revealed he was significantly over the drink-drive limit and his car veered on to the other side of the road, killing a 58-year-old mother of two. [32] That would be the only title won by Maradona in the Argentine domestic league. He entered to the pitch wearing the number 16 jersey, and became the youngest player in the history of Argentine Primera División. [23] After the game, Maradona said, "That day I felt I had held the sky in my hands. "[280] He added, "I was fascinated by his journey, wherever he went there were moments of incredible brilliance and drama. [67] He went on to play for Argentina in two 1979 Copa América ties during August 1979, a 2–1 loss against Brazil and a 3–0 win over Bolivia in which he scored his side's third goal.

The club had announced that the number would remain out of circulation as long as Podolski is playing football on a professional level. [232] Sinagra is now a footballer playing in Italy. 10 Greatest Number 10s in World Soccer History 0 of 11 Whenever you write a world football article about "the greatest ever," you're on a hiding to nothing despite Pele, Maradona … "[24] Thirty years later, Cabrera remembered Maradona's debut: "I was on the right side of the field and went to press him, but he didn't give me a chance. [190], In 2000, he won FIFA Player of the Century award which was to be decided by votes on their official website, their official magazine and a grand jury. Lanús, Position: 30 Oct 2008. Everything Fidel does, everything Chávez does, for me is the best. [218][219] After Argentina's qualification, Maradona used abusive language at the live post-game press conference, telling members of the media to "suck it and keep on sucking it". He was always getting kicked around and he never complained – not like some of today's strikers. p. 320.

Norwich City also reserve the number 13 shirt for "the fans" while Shrewsbury Town reserve the number 13 shirt for the fan who wins a pre-season competition. [258] In April 2013, Maradona visited the tomb of Hugo Chávez and urged Venezuelans to elect the late leader's designated successor, Nicolás Maduro, to continue the socialist leader's legacy; "Continue the struggle," Maradona said on television. Among those are scoring 3 goals overall against, The club retired the number after club captain McCathie was found dead in his home on 8 January 1996, as a result of, In December 2005, Livorno officially retired the #10 jersey. [93], Learn how and when to remove these template messages, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "List of retired numbers in association football", Nápoli retira camiseta número 10 en homenaje a Maradona, Famous retired jersey numbers in football, "Soccer-Ecuador to reinstate Benitez's number 11 for World Cup", "São Paulo aposenta a camisa 01, e Ceni diz: 'É uma extensão da carreira' (Portuguese page)". Diego Maradona, Argentine football (soccer) player who is generally regarded as the top footballer of the 1980s and one of the greatest of all time. He’s the number one, he’s el capitan de Boca.” It was August 1997 and Diego Maradona was closer than even he imagined to the end of his playing days.