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1. Diego Maradona
LONDON, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 23: Former Argentinian footballer Diego Maradona
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If it hadn’t been for a Edson Arantes do Nascimento, Diego Maradona would unanimously be proclaimed as the greatest player to have graced a football pitch. Although his tawdry tactic to deflect the ball into the net with his hand against England in the 1986 World Cup still finds its way into news columns, his second goal in that match deserves a mention as one of the greatest goals to have been scored. A shrewd captain, remarkable dribbler and immaculate striker, Maradona holds the unique distinction of breaking the transfer record fee twice when he first transferred to Barcelona and then, to Napoli. Banned from the game for 15 months in the early 90’s for failing a drug test, Maradona has since then struggled to find his form that once broke defenses with tranquility. In 1999, FIFA announced that Maradona along with Brazilian, Pele would share the honors of FIFA Player of the Century.
Maradona’s celestial status on the pitch as a player saw him bag the coaching job of the Argentinean National Team. A poor string of results barely saw Argentina ensuring qualification for South Africa 2010. In spite of their shaky qualifying run, Maradona and his boys were pre-tournament favorites. However, Germany begged to differ as Argentina was thrashed 4-0 in the quarter-final. Blamed for his over-emphasis on the team’s attack which backfired against Germany, Maradona was fired by AFA after the conclusion of the tournament.
His popularity around the world saw Maradona recently take up a position with Al Wasl (a deal that paid him 4 million pounds a year plus a PRIVATE JET), only to get fired within a year of appointment. His record at the Arab club speaks for itself as he managed the club into an eighth spot within a 12 team league. Diego Armando Maradona Franco might be the greatest player to ever kick a football but by no means he is meant to be a manager.
