MY ACCOUNT
Diego Maradona dragged Argentina to World Cup glory, triumphed in Italy and Europe with Napoli and won countless individual honours.
Along the way, the footballing great – who died at the age of 60 on November 25, 2020 – scored some of the greatest goals the game has ever seen.
No matter the occasion, or indeed the opponent, Maradona was often unplayable – as can be seen from our selection of his five greatest ever goals.
Argentina v England (June 22, 1986)
Hailed by many as the greatest goal of all time, Maradona picked up the ball inside his own half and dribbled past four England players before calmly rounding Peter Shilton.
The moment of magic arrived four minutes after the notorious ‘Hand of God’ goal and helped Argentina into the semi-finals of the 1986 World Cup, a tournament which they went on to win.
Peter Reid, one of the England players that Maradona sauntered past, described the mesmerising second goal as an example of “an artist at work, at the best of his ability”.
Argentina v Belgium (June 25, 1986)
The goal scored by Maradona three days later, this time in the semi-finals, was not too dissimilar in that he had four opposition players between himself and the goal.
He slalomed between two of them, jinked past another – in the process taking out a fourth – and fired past Jean-Marie Pfaff for his second goal of the contest.
Napoli v Juventus (November 3, 1985)
Napoli ended their 12-year wait for a league victory over rivals Juventus thanks to Maradona’s brilliance of a different kind. If the previous goals were all about neat footwork and clinical finishing, this was more to do with sheer audacity.
A large wall, set five metres from the ball, was not enough to stop the Argentine maestro delicately lifting the indirect free-kick, rolled short into his path, into the one spot Stefano Tacconi could not reach.
Napoli v Hellas Verona (October 20, 1985)
This one was all about the technique – and the confidence to even think about taking it on. Maradona brought down the ball with his first touch, turned and sent a long-range drive flying over Giuliano Giuliani from a good 40 yards out.
What made it all the more special is that this strike came in a 5-0 thrashing of Hellas Verona, who were the reigning Serie A champions at the time.
Boca Juniors v River Plate (April 10, 1981)
Maradona spent a season with Boca Juniors before arriving in Europe, and it soon became clear what a talent he would become.
His first spell at the club may have been short, but he left behind plenty of memories, including a famous goal against bitter rivals River Plate. Intricate footwork in the penalty area left River helplessly bamboozled before Maradona converted from close range.
