RENOWNED for his exceptional individual skill, ethereal close control, dazzling dribbling qualities and seemingly superhuman strength, Maradona was also a leader who inspired previously unfancied and unsuccessful sides to glory.

It would be impossible to detail all the highs and lows of Maradona’s extraordinary life but here are some of his most memorable moments.

The Hand of God and the Goal of the Century

Few games in World Cup history can rival Argentina’s clash against England in the 1986 World Cup quarter final for drama. It was a match that had everything and will forever be associated with both Maradona’s genius and his disregard for the game’s rules.

With 51 minutes played, Maradona put Argentina 1-0 up by lobbing England’s veteran goalkeeper Peter Shilton — with his hand.

After the ball had looped high into the air, Maradona jumped and flicked the ball over Shilton with his outstretched fist, memorably describing it afterwards as the “Hand of God.”

While England’s players were still gathering themselves, Maradona doubled his and Argentina’s tally, this time with a moment of pure footballing genius, waltzing beyond a sea of white shirts, before rounding Shilton and popping the loose ball into the net.

Napoli honors

Before Maradona showed up in 1984, Napoli’s list of honors read two Coppa Italias and a Serie B title. The club was barely on the radar of Italy’s most successful clubs Juventus, Inter and AC Milan, and Maradona was greeted by 75,000 fans at San Paolo stadium upon his unveiling.

Not even Napoli fans, love-drunk on Maradona from the outset, could have envisaged what would come next. In 1986-87, he led the club to its maiden Serie A crown, beating Juve to the title by three points as well as a first Coppa Italia in 11 years, before pipping Milan to the title in 1989-90 by two points.

Sandwiched between those domestic successes was a 5-4 aggregate win over VFB Stuttgart in the UEFA Cup final, Napoli’s first and only European title.

Drug suspension

Argentina’s World Cup defense at Italia 1990 ended in defeat when the side was beaten by West Germany in the final. After winning it in 1986 and finishing runner-up four years later, Maradona will have had ambitions of clinching his second and Argentina’s third World Cup at USA 1994.

It all started well enough, Maradona scoring in a 4-0 thumping of Greece in Argentina’s opening game. His infamous crazed, wide-eyed celebration, however, was a giveaway to the off-field turmoil he was going through. Despite playing in the next game, he was sent home in disgrace after testing positive for the banned stimulant, Ephedrine.

Run-ins with journalists

Maradona endured a long-running feud with the media, particularly during his time in Naples. He also had his issues with the press at home too, so much so that in February 1994 he literally took a shot at them with an air rifle outside his home in Buenos Aires. He was handed a suspended sentence of two years and 10 months.

Antics at 2018 World Cup

After Marcos Rojo had scored a winning goal against Nigeria for Argentina during the 2018 World Cup, Maradona was filmed celebrating manically before swearing at supporters seated below his press box. Reports surfaced afterwards that Maradona had to be treated by paramedics inside the stadium after collapsing on a chair.(SD-Agencies)