Diego Armando Maradona is one of the most repeated names when people discuss about the greatest players to ever play football. During his time as a player, he was just magic—beating defenders at will while scoring impossible goals in the process.
It was this ability that made him such a revered figure in football. However, as a person, he is just the polar opposite of the player that he was—a grotesque caricature made out of vibrant colours.
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In a life full of controversies, he has done some outrageous things to lose the respect that he earned as a player. There are many people who love him, most of them are the ones that saw him play, but even more loathe him for his volatile nature.
He hit the news once again when he claimed that his successor Lionel Messi lacked personality and character to lead Argentina, despite leading Argentina to three consecutive finals.
His comments didn’t ring too well around the ears of Messi fans. He might have said that he wants Messi to be back for the national team, but we doubt that people took his comments seriously.
Even if they did, here are 7 instances of insolence from Maradona that show why he shouldn’t be taken seriously at all…
1) Claims to be the best
Cristiano Ronaldo has used lesser number of hair-gel bottles than the number of times Diego Maradona has claimed to be the best footballer in the history of mankind. He doesn’t need any occasion or cause for claiming his superiority over the others.
However, the thing that sets him off the most is when Pele makes a similar prerogative about himself. A shark might choose to not attack a person with a bleeding wound, but it is impossible for Maradona to not respond to Pele when the latter makes such statements.
He might be the best ever—that argument is highly debatable—but when you claim your supremacy more often than people drink water during summer, you have a problem.
2) Shoots at journalists
Being a famous football personality has more disadvantages than advantages. You might enjoy a lot of power, but the privacy that one usually gets is lost—people will gaze with prying eyes no matter how much you want to shut them out.
And when you are an outspoken personality like Diego Maradona, there is always a media circus all around you.
However, in 1994, when photographers and reporters were buzzing outside his home, he went nuts and shot at them with his air rifle. Thankfully, nobody died, but 4 of them were injured.
He was sentenced to prison for 2 years and 10 months for his actions—another one that proves his nonsensical nature.
3) Slapped a journalist
If shooting journalists wasn’t enough to testify his craziness, then this certainly does the trick—especially the reason for doing this.
When a journalist supposedly winked at his ex-wife—yes, EX-wife—Veronica Ojeda, he didn’t take it too kindly and proceeded to slap the guy while saying, “what’s up idiot? Why mess with my wife when I do not mess with you?”
Imagine what he would have done had the journalist held her arms or something. Never go anywhere near the girls Maradona likes, is what we learn from this.
4) Defending Luis Suarez
There is nothing wrong with Maradona defending a fellow South American. After all, they endorse the same brand of Latin football that people love so much.
However, sometimes there are some things that can’t be defended—and one of them is Luis Suarez biting Giorgio Chiellini.
When Luis Suarez was banned for 4 months for his bite on Chiellini, Diego Maradona came out publicly to show his support for the player, saying, “Luis, we are with you,” while also claiming the punishment as “shameful.”
5) You lot can suck my ****
While Diego Maradona is known for his flings with women and his fondness of getting intimate with them, he took the world by shock when he asked fellow Argentineans to suck his gender organ.
It happened after Argentina qualified for the World Cup 2010 despite looking like they wouldn’t be able to make it at one point. It was during that time when people started criticising the legendary former footballer for his lack of abilities as a coach.
So when he crossed the final hurdle, he wasn’t one to hold back his thoughts…
"To those who did not believe in us - and ladies forgive me - they can suck my **** and keep on sucking it," he said. "I am black or white; I'll never be grey in my life.
"You lot take it up the a**, if the ladies will pardon the expression. This is for all Argentineans except for the journalists.
"This is for those who did not believe in the team and treated me like dirt - but we still qualified with honour.”
6) Middle finger on live TV
If being controversial prior to the World Cup 2010 wasn’t enough for him, he took it to the next level when he showed then AFA president the middle finger via live TV during the 2014 World Cup.
As Argentina were heading towards a goalless draw against Iran, Diego Maradona left the stands with only a few minutes to go. After he left, however, Lionel Messi scored an incredible goal to take Argentina to the next round.
Julio Grondona, then AFA president, claimed that Maradona was a jinxed figure and the goal in his absence proved just that.
When the matter was revealed to him on live TV, he said, “poor old man, jinx this,” before showing his middle finger with Grondona as the target.
7) Messi has no personality
And this is his most recent display of stupidity. It has been reported that both Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona haven’t spoken to each other since the 2010 World Cup—and the eccentric legend’s comments on Lionel Messi during the Copa America gives us a glaring idea of how matters truly are.
In an event where both Pele and Maradona held hands in a friendly manner—which was a surprise in itself in the first place—he said: “He [Messi] is a really good person, but he has no personality; he lacks the character to be a leader.”
Mind you, these are words from a convicted drug addict and assaulter. The day the world begins to take lessons about personality and character from a person like Maradona, the earth will just bury itself inside out as a result.
