The football world lost a legend today. Diego Maradona passed away at the age of 60.
Sure, Maradona was a World Cup champion with Argentina and even won the Golden Ball in 1986. He’s probably one of the three greatest footballers of all time. But if you ask a Croatian, you know what they’re going to say: “Maradona was of Croatian blood.”
Maradona’s grandfather on his mother’s side emigrated from the Croatian island of Korčula to Argentina. Diego himself said that he named his daughter Dalma after ‘Dalmacija’.
Maradona went too soon but we all saw the lifestyle that he lived. He had successful brain surgery on November 2nd before suffering a fatal heart attack today.
Maradona had game, drive, and personality. He may have passed but his legend will live forever.
The Run
The Hand of God
The single greatest pre-game warmup of all time
@ Maminjo,
The three World Cups won by Pele were contested by 16 teams. Each team, other than the host and the previous winner, were required to qualify, just as today. You may be thinking about the pre WW2 tournaments won by Italy and Uruguay.
Pele had better players around him, heck I’d argue garrincha had more skill and talent. He was the driving force behind the 58 and 62 World Cup wins.
Maradona took a group of scrubs at Argentina and Napoli and made them champions. Imagine Ronaldo or Messi going to a club like Napoli or Valencia or Everton and making them 5 times champions.
Maradona the greatest Eusebio better player then Pele unfortunately for Eusebio he had to carry his Portugal team by himself where as Pele’s Brazil was staked made him look better then he was.
@ Maminjo
Great point about invite only 8 team world cups?
Pele was transcendent, but so were his teams.
Maradona lifted his country and clubs to become champion’s.
Napoli winning scudetti in the 80’s?
Argentina to lift the World Cup in 1986?
Mythical.
Pre-1970 international tournaments are hard to compare to the most recent ones.
Seems like it was much easier to win a World Cup, when there are 8 teams, no Group Stage, and no qualifications.
Italy didn’t even invite the two-time World Cup winners (Uruguay) to the first one they won, lol.
I don’t really consider any of those World Cup wins as being anything like winning a World Cup today.
Croatia’s 2nd place achievement in 2018 is greater than many World Cup wins back then.
Even though I haven’t watched enough Pele and Maradona to compare…I think Maradona played during a time when it was much more difficult to achieve these heights (and we shouldn’t assume that Pele is better simply because of the international tournament factor, where he was so dominant).
Tought to judge who is better unless you sat through watching all of their games, which most people have never done.
Prosinecki
Suker
Modric
Boban
Halilovic
Maradona justly credited with being one of the all time greats. I think Pele eclipses Maradona, but insisting one was better than the other is splitting hairs. One thing they both had in common was thriving in eras where defenders committed cynical, brutal, violent assaults to stop them. Referees during that time were woefully weak in applying the rules and protecting the better players.
My all time top five:
Pele
Maradona
Zidane
Messi
Cruyff
Ton of our boys in action today in Europe…does rebic steal the show from an injured Z…does livakovic shut us up or continue to flounder…Vlasic keep on beasting and does Krama pop in a few today ?
Cestitamo Mara Danas- job well done- far too early but he left it all out there on and off the field- played hard and partied hard- true Croatian!!!
Maradona lifted more scrubs than any other footballer in the history of the sport.
Brazil had the best players in the world.
Pele was the greatest of all the Brazilian players but always had a dominant crew.
Maradona lifted Argentina and Napoli to places they have could barley even dream of.
That ZDS gene is something that takes you beyond limited beliefs.
That’s why you can go from a goat herder, war displaced kid from Zadar, to becoming the GOAT.
George best was the best according to my stari
George Best was the best.
Suker second.
Boksic third.
Puskas fourth.
Maradona fifth.
Wasn’t pele better
Agreed Slavonac!
A true Hrvat
I didnt know about the Dalma daughter thing, that’s cool
Nobody like Maradona!
By far, the greatest of all time!