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He had complete mastery of the ball. When Maradona ran with the ball or dribbled through the defence, he seemed to have the ball tied to his boots. I remember our early training sessions with him: the rest of the team were so amazed that they just stood and watched him. We all thought ourselves privileged to be witnesses of his genius.
– Barca team mate Lobo Carrasco
Maradona, turns like a little eel, he comes away from trouble, little squat man… comes inside Butcher and leaves him for dead, outside Fenwick and leaves him for dead, and puts the ball away… and that is why Maradona is the greatest player in the world.
– Bryon Butler from BBC Radio
What Zidane could do with a ball, Maradona could do with an ORANGE.
– Michel Platini (former rival and French legend)
Even if I played for a million years, I’d never come close to Maradona. Not that I’d want to anyway. He’s the greatest there’s ever been.
– Leo Messi (don’t bother reading if you don’t know )
When Diego scored that second goal against us, I felt like applauding. I’d never felt like that before, but it’s true… and not just because it was such an important game. It was impossible to score such a beautiful goal. He’s the greatest player of all time, by a long way. A genuine phenomenon.
– Gary Lineker (former rival and English legend)
I asked myself, ‘Who is this man? Who is this footballing magician, this Sex Pistol of international football, this cocaine victim who kicked the habit, looked like Falstaff and was as weak as spaghetti?’ If Andy Warhol had still been alive, he would have definitely put Maradona alongside Marilyn Monroe and Mao Tse-Tung. I’m convinced that if he hadn’t been a footballer, he’d’ve become a revolutionary.
– Emir Kusturica (film director)
“And to think that before the World Cup people criticised me, saying Maradona wasn’t qualified to be captain and that he still had to prove himself. One month later he completely dominated the tournament. It was a huge step for him in terms of fame, and a great reward for his work.”
– Carlos Bilardo ( Argentina coach 1986)
In any world championship, the best have to be on hand, and Maradona is one of them.
– Franz Beckenbauer
Wasi is a keen fan with loads of knowledge about the game. He has written for some of the world’s leading soccer websites and is a major Barcelona and Pune City FC fan. He loves the Champions League and watches 200+ EPL games & La Liga games per season.