“On this day but in 1960, the celestial star that illuminated our land with glory arrived on earth. His memory is eternal and we miss you every moment. A simple thank you Diego, a kiss to heaven”writes the Argentinian media TyC Sports. This Thursday, October 30, the immense Argentinian legend Diego Maradona would have celebrated his 65th birthday. “El Pibe de Oro” died five years ago, on November 25, 2020, of a cardiac arrest at his home.
Long before Lionel Messi, Diego Armando Maradona capsized the football world with his ball genius. Left-handed prodigy of Boca Juniors then Barça (only won one Copa del Rey and one Spanish Super Cup, in 1983), the number 10 made history by taking the Albiceleste to its second World Cup coronation, in 1986. “The hand of God” then “the goal of the century” took place during the quarter-final against England.
World superstar and absolute idol in Naples, where he won two scudetti (in 1987 and 1990) as well as a UEFA Cup (in 1989), Maradona did not manage to win a second World Cup in 1990, in a deleterious atmosphere in Italy, with a narrow defeat in the final against West Germany. The legend of
say also causes scandals at the end of his career and as coach of his country.
Diego Maradona is said to be descended from a slave
Diego Maradona is a symbol of Argentina and all its people. Although he was born in Lanus, in the southern suburbs of Buenos Aires, his family comes from a poor region, in the province of Corrientes, in the north of the country. His parents have multiple origins and not just European. According to different sources, his father is of Galician and Guarani origin, the Native American people of Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina.
But Maradona would also have African origins. A genetics researcher from the University of San Juan, Guillermo Collado Macdur, carried out a study on the origin of the “Pibe de oro” in 2022, finding a distant cousin of the idol. The scientist concluded that Maradona was a direct descendant of a slave from Africa. Luiz Maradona gained his freedom after participating in Argentina’s war of independence in the early 19th century.
