How Diego Maradona Shaped the Future: A Legacy Timeline

A closer look at the lasting mark left by Diego Maradona—a timeline of influence.

Diego Maradona was an Argentine professional football player and manager, globally recognized as one of the greatest footballers of all time. He jointly won the FIFA Player of the 20th Century award with Pelé. A masterful playmaker with exceptional dribbling skills, Maradona led Argentina to victory in the 1986 FIFA World Cup. His career was marked by both moments of brilliance and controversy, including the infamous 'Hand of God' goal. Beyond his playing career, he also served as a football manager.

Sections (7)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals Legacy & Impact

1958: Comparison to Pelé

Maradona's performance in 1986 was compared to Pelé's in 1958.

1982: Comparison to Paolo Rossi

Maradona's performance in 1986 was compared to Paolo Rossi's in 1982.

1986: Maradona's Performance at the 1986 World Cup

Maradona's performance at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, widely regarded as the greatest individual performance in tournament history, where he single-handedly delivered his country its second World Cup.

1986: Maradona's Recognition and Legendary Status

Since 1986, Diego Maradona's name has been a token of recognition for Argentines abroad. He is often talked about in terms reserved for legends. He is referenced in the Argentine film 'El hijo de la novia', and is the subject of the film 'El camino de San Diego'.

1999: World Soccer's "100 Greatest Players of the 20th Century"

In 1999, Maradona was placed second behind Pelé by World Soccer in the magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Players of the 20th Century".

2000: FIFA Player of the Century

In 2000, Maradona was one of the two joint winners of the "FIFA Player of the Century" award, along with Pelé.

2000: Napoli Retires Number 10 Jersey

In 2000, Napoli officially retired the number 10 jersey.

November 2001: Maradona's Testimonial Match

On 10 November 2001, Maradona was given a testimonial match between an all-star World XI and the Argentina national team, where he scored two penalty kicks in a 6–3 win at La Bombonera.

2001: Request to retire jersey number 10

In 2001, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) requested FIFA to retire the jersey number 10 for Maradona, but FIFA did not grant the request.

2002: "Goal of the Century"

In 2002, Maradona's second goal against England in the 1986 World Cup quarter-final was voted "Goal of the Century" by FIFA.com voters.

2002: The Guardian on Maradona's Second Goal Against England

In 2002, Russell Thomas of The Guardian described Maradona's second goal against England in the 1986 World Cup quarter-finals as "arguably the greatest individual goal ever."

2002: Best goal ever scored in a World Cup

In 2002, a FIFA poll chose Maradona's second goal against England as the best goal ever scored in a World Cup. He also won the most votes in a poll to determine the All-Time Ultimate World Cup Team.

December 2003: Stadium named after Maradona

On 26 December 2003, Argentinos Juniors named its stadium after Maradona.

2005: Paolo Maldini's View

In 2005, Paolo Maldini described Maradona both as the greatest player he ever faced, and also as the most honest, stating: "He was a model of good behaviour on the pitch".

2008: Corrado Ferlaino on Maradona's leadership

In 2008, Napoli's former president Corrado Ferlaino commented on Maradona's leadership qualities during his time with the club, describing him as "a coach on the pitch."

2008: "Maradona" documentary released

In 2008, Serbian filmmaker Emir Kusturica made "Maradona", a documentary about Maradona's life.

2009: CBC Sports on Maradona's Goal Against England

In 2009, John Molinaro of CBC Sports described Maradona's goal against England as "the greatest ever scored in the tournament – and, maybe, in soccer."

March 2010: Greatest World Cup Players of All Time

On 22 March 2010, Maradona was chosen number 1 in 'The Greatest 10 World Cup Players of All Time' by The Times.

2010: Arrigo Sacchi's Interview

In a 2010 interview with Il Corriere dello Sport, former Milan manager Arrigo Sacchi praised Maradona for his defensive work-rate off the ball.

2011: Maradona Suggests Lavezzi Use Number 10

In 2011, Maradona suggested that Ezequiel Lavezzi should use the retired number 10 jersey of Napoli, although the change ultimately did not occur due to fan opposition.

2014: Roger Bennett on Maradona's 1986 World Cup Performance

In 2014, Roger Bennett of ESPN FC described Maradona's performance at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico as "the most virtuoso performance a World Cup has ever witnessed."

2014: FIFA Poll

In a 2014 FIFA poll, Maradona was voted the second-greatest number 10 of all time, behind only Pelé.

August 2015: Visit to Ali Bin Nasser

On 17 August 2015, Maradona visited Ali Bin Nasser, the referee of the 1986 Argentina–England quarter-final match, and gifted him a signed Argentine jersey.

2017: Featured in FIFA 18

In 2017, Diego Maradona was featured as a legendary player in the football video game FIFA 18.

2017: FourFourTwo's Rank

In 2017, FourFourTwo ranked him in first place in their list of "100 greatest players".

2018: Featured in Pro Evolution Soccer 2018

In 2018, Diego Maradona was featured as a legendary player in the football video game Pro Evolution Soccer 2018.

2018: FourFourTwo's Rank

In 2018, FourFourTwo ranked him in first place by the same magazine in their list of the "Greatest Football Players in World Cup History".

2018: Giuseppe Bergomi's View

In 2018, Giuseppe Bergomi described Maradona as the greatest player of all time.

2018: Sportsnet on Maradona's Performance

In 2018, Sportsnet noted that no other player had dominated a single competition the way Maradona did in Mexico in 1986.

2019: Release of 'Diego Maradona' Documentary

In 2019, the documentary film 'Diego Maradona', directed by Asif Kapadia, was released. Kapadia described it as part of a trilogy about child geniuses and fame, highlighting Maradona's brilliance, drama, and his fight against the system.

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March 2020: 90min.com's Rank

In March 2020, Maradona was ranked first by Jack Gallagher of 90min.com in their list of "Top 50 Greatest Players of All Time".

May 2020: Sky Sports Rank

In May 2020, Sky Sports ranked Maradona as the best player never to have won the UEFA Champions League/European Cup.

November 2020: Tributes and Renaming of Competitions in Maradona's Honor

In November 2020, following Maradona's death, numerous tributes were made. The Aditya School of Sports in Kolkata named their cricket stadium after him. The AFA renamed the 2020 Copa de la Liga Profesional as Copa Diego Armando Maradona. The Pakistan Football Federation honored Maradona at the PFF National Challenge Cup, and the New Zealand rugby team presented a jersey with Maradona's name before a match against Argentina. Lionel Messi dedicated a goal to Maradona by revealing a Newell's Old Boys shirt.