Publisher's Synopsis
Diego Armando Maradona: A law unto himself and a god to millions of football supporters across the world. Maradona's European adventures took in two seasons at Barcelona, seven in Naples and one in Seville. All three crammed enough drama, controversy, intrigue and moments of footballing genius to fulfil a lifetime of memories. He was no angel or saint, but then neither was he a demon. Simply the greatest footballer ever to play the game. At Barcelona, Maradona was cut down by serious injuries and illness, only occasionally did the god given talent shine through. But when it did! Sadly it was not to be long term, just a constant two year battle against a President and Catalan attitudes that viewed him merely as a street kid punk who got lucky with a gift. Hardly a marriage in heaven but a torrid love affair that at times reached the stars but fell far too often down to earth. Then came Naples! The treasure of San Gennaro, Neapolitans worshipped this Argentine wonder boy who arrived like an angel from the sky in a helicopter at the San Paolo, and for seven glorious though hugely controversial years made all their wildest dreams real. A king with a crown of thorns whose night time antics were sufficient to make even the Borgias blush. But when in the light blue of Napoli Maradona made the ball sing. Encore. In Naples despite a horrific finale they would love him forever more. Seville: a tragic epitaph as the realisation finally dawned on Diego Maradona that despite being told since the age of ten he was a god, Diego was human after all. That no one lived forever. Fighting constantly a cocaine addiction that ticked away like a time bomb to finish him off. Maradona's European adventures ended in misery and acrimony in the gypsy city. But what a journey! An outrageous but unforgettable tale of football, gangsters, drugs, corruption, booze, women and without doubt the greatest player the world has ever seen. Loved and loathed, adored and hated, but there was only ever one Diego Armando Maradona. A southern wind that blew everything in its path away.