Diego Maradona's Success and Achievements in Timeline

A closer look at the biggest achievements of Diego Maradona. Awards, milestones, and records that define success.

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

1973: Evita Tournament Win

In 1973, Maradona led Cebollitas to an Evita Tournament win.

1974: Evita Tournament Win

In 1974, Maradona led Cebollitas to an Evita Tournament win and 141 undefeated games in a row.

October 1976: Professional Debut for Argentinos Juniors

On October 20, 1976, Maradona made his professional debut for Argentinos Juniors against Talleres de Córdoba, becoming the youngest player in the history of the Argentine Primera División.

1979: Top Scorer in both Metropolitan and Nacional tournaments

In 1979, Maradona scored 26 goals in 26 games, and finished top scorer in both Metropolitan and Nacional tournaments.

1980: Top Scorer for the Last Four Consecutive Tournaments

In 1980, Maradona scored 43 goals in 45 appearances and was the top scorer again for the last four consecutive tournaments.

June 1983: Applauded by Real Madrid Fans

On June 26, 1983, Maradona scored in the Copa de la Liga final against Real Madrid and became the first Barcelona player to be applauded by Real Madrid fans at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.

1984: Playing for Napoli and Sponsorships

In 1984, Diego Maradona earned $7 million a year playing at Napoli, with sponsorships including $5 million from Hitachi. That year, he was also named the best known person in the world by IMG.

1986: Led Argentina to the 1986 World Cup victory

In 1986, Diego Maradona led Argentina to victory in the World Cup, particularly standing out in the quarter-final against England. His performance and two goals lifted the spirits of the nation. Guillem Balagué notes that Maradona's actions transformed him from a star player into a legend.

1986: Napoli Wins First Serie A Championship

In 1986, Led by Maradona, Napoli secured their first-ever Serie A Championship, marking a significant career milestone for the team and Maradona.

1986: 1986 World Cup Victory

In 1986, Maradona captained Argentina to victory in the World Cup in Mexico, winning the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player. He scored the "Hand of God" goal and the "Goal of the Century" against England in the quarter-final.

1986: Maradona Leads Argentina to World Cup Victory

In 1986, Maradona captained Argentina to victory in the World Cup in Mexico, with a win in the final against West Germany. He played every minute of every game, scoring five goals and making five assists.

1986: Maradona Wins Golden Ball at World Cup

In 1986, Maradona won the Golden Ball as the best player of the World Cup and was widely regarded to have single-handedly won the tournament for Argentina.

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.

May 1987: Napoli Celebrates Serie A Championship

In May 1987, Napoli's victory in the Serie A Championship sparked widespread celebrations, including street parties, mock funerals for rival teams Juventus and Milan, and the painting of murals of Maradona throughout the city.

1988: Maradona Serie A Top Scorer

In the 1987–88 season, Maradona was the Serie A top scorer with 15 goals.

1990: Napoli Wins Second League Title

In 1989–90, Napoli secured their second league title, and later in 1990, won the Italian Supercup by defeating Juventus 5–1.

1990: Diamond Konex Award

In 1990, the Konex Foundation from Argentina granted him the Diamond Konex Award, one of the most prestigious culture awards in Argentina, as the most important personality in sports in the last decade in his country.

1990: 1990 World Cup Final

In the 1990 World Cup in Italy, Maradona captained Argentina to the World Cup final, though an ankle injury hampered his performance. Argentina lost their opening game and barely qualified from their group. In the round of 16 against Brazil, Argentina won with a goal set up by Maradona.

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.

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: 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.

March 2005: Gastric Bypass Surgery

In March 2005, Maradona underwent gastric bypass surgery in Cartagena, Colombia to combat obesity after struggling with weight gain since the end of his playing career. The surgery involved a liquid diet for three months to help him return to a normal weight, after which he displayed a much thinner physique.

2005: Messi Wins Golden Ball at FIFA U-20 World Cup

Lionel Messi won the Golden Ball at the 2005 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

2006: Boca won Clausura

In 2006, Boca won the Clausura with Maradona fostering a close relationship with the players.

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.

2014: FIFA Poll

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

2014: Messi Wins Golden Ball at FIFA World Cup

Lionel Messi won the Golden Ball at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

2017: FourFourTwo's Rank

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

2017: Hamšík Breaks Maradona's Napoli Goalscoring Record

In 2017, Marek Hamšík broke Maradona's record of 115 goals to become Napoli's all-time leading goalscorer.

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".

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.