The measure of a sportsman’s status is defined by his name – or should we say, the very mention of his surname.
Over decades and generations, key players have managed to assume that status – Beckham, Charlton, Moore, Pele, Platini, Puskas, Rooney to name but six.
However, few have provided such a divisive opinion about him as Diego Armando Maradona, the diminutive talent from Argentina who in the space of a few minutes during a 1986 World Cup Quarter-Final with England, in the shadow of the Falklands Conflict four years earlier, provided two moments that would make him both, as one journalist states in the new documentary DIEGO MARADONA, loved and hated by fans across the world.
THE ‘HAND OF GOD’ MOMENT – ARGENTINA V ENGLAND – WORLD CUP QUARTER FINAL, 1986.
Directed by Asif Kapadia, who also brought us AMY and SENNA, DIEGO MARADONA follows a chronological through-line as we explore the life and times of a talent for whom the life he lived, like the late football legend George Best, was a case of ‘Where Did It All Go Right?’
From his young days in Argentina, to being signed up for the likes of Barcelona and Napoli in Europe, where he helped the latter win the Serie A Championship for the first time amidst hostile opposition crowds, to both heroic and villainous actions for the Argentinian national side, Maradona is portrayed as somebody in his own words who clearly knew what he was all about – and knew what he wanted to achieve from his humble beginnings.
The documentary, to its credit, pulls no punches and there are a few on occasion thrown by the main subject during some key local games and if you are a fan of football, you will certainly want to check out this film, which does give you some insight into the talent of a clear genius of the game.
MARADONA IN ACTION FOR NAPOLI:
However, unlike the recent documentary BOBBY ROBSON – MORE THAN A MANAGER, the over-reliance on archive footage can be a little disconcerting. Most of it has been seen before, particularly some of the Serie A and World Cup footage and when magnified on a cinema screen is a little hard on the eyes.
Ultimately, DIEGO MARADONA’s fate with audiences will be dependent on how passionate you are about football and the stars of yesteryear, of which Maradona is now one of them and will probably not have as much appeal as some of today’s stars.
As it is partly a Film 4 Production, you can predict that it will be on Freeview / Terrestrial television before long. One for real fans.
