I’d well and truly settled in my new home on the Calle Argerich with all the
                   rest of the family.

                   We had a flat at the back and the Villafañe family had one overlooking the
                   street: Don Coco, a taxi-driving Argentinos fan, Doña Pochi, a housewife,
                   and… Claudia.

                   I only actually plucked up the courage something like eight months later. On
                   28 June 1977 to be precise. I went out dancing at the usual place in the
                   barrio, the Social y Deportivo Parque. They used to have these great bops on
                   the seven-a-side pitch, which all the little imps who’d later end up at
                   Argentinos played on. After two in the morning the slowies came on and that
                   was the moment I’d been waiting for. 

                   I parked my red Fiat 125 at the door and strode in… There she was with her
                   school friends, from the fifth year. The two of us knew we’d been watching each
                   other. So when I gave her the nod she accepted. Right at the exact moment we
                   started dancing, (we hadn’t even said hello) they stick this song on, “I
                   Propose To You” (Yo te propongo) by Roberto Carlos… Brilliant! It spared me
                   the speech. I was never a great one for speeches. 

                   From then on ever since we’ve been El Diego and La Claudia. And we can’t live
                   without each other… I’m not saying she didn’t have to get used to one or two
                   things. I’m talking about the pre-match build-ups if you want to know. Once I
                   came back really late at like six in the morning. I hadn’t even slept but I got
                   showered and went off to training. 

                   My old man had heard me come in but didn’t say anything… When I got back at
                   midday, my old man’s giving Claudia a good talking to, practically shouting at
                   her, “You can’t go keeping my lad out till that time of night. You should be
                   looking after him a bit better. He’s got training to go to!” I wanted to crawl into
                   a hole ’cause I hadn’t been out with Claudia that night.

                  Travels with Boca
                   As far as travelling goes... just so nobody goes around saying I’m
                   exaggerating, I’ll transcribe a statement by Dr. Eduardo Madero, a doctor with
                   Boca at the time, who describes what it was like living out of unopened
                   suitcases. 

                   “I’ve been doing this for many years. There are probably plenty of teams who
                   have played four games in a week. I actually lived through it at Estudiantes de
                   Zubeldía. But this stuff Boca are doing must be a world record, no doubt about
                   it. We started last Sunday in Tokyo. We played then flew off to Los Angeles. In
                   LA we changed planes for Mexico. We had a game against América was on the
                   Tuesday night. We finished dinner and nobody slept because at six o’clock on
                   the Wednesday morning we went to Guatemala. We played Comunicaciones on
                   the same day. That very same day! 

                   On the Thursday we started our journey home via Miami. We took a
                   connecting flight in Río de Janeiro and ended up in Buenos Aires at noon on
                   the Friday. And today, Saturday onto another plane, we appear in Mar del Plata
                   for our first game of the season... It’s miraculous to me. Get hold of a map and
                   have a look: it’s some kind of world record.”

                   The Pope
                   People say I mouth off about everything and it’s true. They say I argued with
                   the Pope and they’re right. Just ’cause I come from Villa Fiorito am I not
                   allowed to say my piece? I’m the voice of the people who haven’t got a voice.
                   Lots of people feel I represent them ’cause I’ve got a microphone in front of
                   me and they’ll never have. We’re going to straighten this out once and for all:
                   I’m El Diego.

                   Yes, I did argue with the Pope. I argued with him ’cause I’ve been to the
                   Vatican and seen the gold ceilings. And then I hear the Pope saying that the
                   Church was concerned about poor kids… So? Sell the ceilings, mate! Do
                   something!

                   It was… a letdown. I’m always talking about it. He gave my mum a rosary. He
                   gave Claudia a rosary. He gave rosaries to god knows who else and when it
                   came to me he said in Italian, “This is special, for you.” The only thing I could
                   come up with was thanks. I was really uptight. We went on, you know, just
                   walking around and I asked my mum to show me hers… It was… exactly the
                   same as mine!

                   “Excuse me, your Holiness, what’s the difference between mine and my
                   mum’s?” He didn’t answer… He just looked at me, patted me on the back,
                   smiled and we carried on walking.

                   I am capable of hating people. People who rip other people off, like some
                   politicians or bigwigs do. Or the kind who are capable of killing people like the
                   Argentinian military did at one time. Then there are the people who screw kids’
                   lives up in various ways like belting them, starving them, selling them drugs…

                   The Fracture
                   I went to a hospital to visit this little kid who was in a mess ’cause he’d been
                   run over by a car. His legs were a state, poor kid! When he saw me his face lit
                   up. I said hello gave him a kiss and got ready to go ’cause that night I had the
                   game. When I got to the door he almost shouted from his bed “Diego! Look
                   after yourself, please, ’cause they’re after you now!”

                   When El Vasco Andoni Goikoetxea (The Basque, as he was known) broke my
                   leg we were beating Athletic 3-0. Three-bloody-nil!

                   A bit later Schuster had gone in hard on Goikoetxea. A while back El Vasco
                   had injured my German teammate and the stadium erupted. “Schuster!
                   Schuster!” they were shouting like they were applauding his revenge. El
                   Vasco going purple. “I’m going to kill him,” he kept saying. So I said:

                   “Calm down Goiko, take it easy. You might get a yellow card...”

                   I meant it sincerely because he was looking very nervous. And I ran off
                   towards our goal to pick up the ball in the middle of the field. I ran because I
                   thought Goiko was going to beat me to it. I could picture him in our area... I
                   put on a turn of speed against him, beat him, toed it, and when I went to trap
                   the ball, turn and take off again, crack, the axe from behind. I felt like my leg
                   was trapped, like it was completely wrecked...

                  Out of my first World Cup
                   I think I could have played in the 78 World Cup... I was sharper than I’d ever
                   been. I haven’t felt sharper since.

                   I’ve never forgiven Menotti for that and I never will (I still feel he let his
                   tortoise get away on that one.)

                   It was May 19 and it was raining in José C. Paz in Natalio Salvatori’s estate
                   where the team were was assembled. Skinny called us over to the centre of
                   the field, all twenty-five of us, where we were training. I could see it coming. I
                   could just see it coming. The squad had five number tens in it: Villa, Alonso,
                   Valencia, Bochini and me. 

                   I think El Flaco’s favourite was Valencia, ’cause he’d discovered him. Then
                   Villa. Alonso had been brought into the squad after a massive campaign from
                   the press and God knows who else. El Bocha Bochini was given the elbow
                   before anybody else. And me? Well my time was up. 

                   The day before, Francis had come to see me at the team’s headquarters and
                   found me crying in my room... I told you, I could see it coming. When
                   everybody heard about Bravo, Bottaniz and me being out of the squad some of
                   the guys came over to cheer me up: Luque, a great bloke, El Tolo Gallego...
                   And... nobody else.

                   Though Diego’s career always courted controversy, there were plently of
                   trophies along the way too…

                   Titles obtained by Antonio Diego Maradona throughout his career.

                   The most important are the prizes that life has given me: 
                   Dalma, Gianinna, Claudia y Guillermo. 

                   1978 
                   — Leading Goal Scorer, Metropolitan Championship, Argentinos Juniors. 22
                   goals.

                   1979 
                   — World Youth Side Championship; Argentina, World Youth Championship
                   Japan ’79.
                   — Golden Ball Award, Footballer of the Year, Centre of Accredited Journalists
                   (CEPA; Centro de Periodistas Acreditados), AFA.
                   — Leading Goalscorer, Metropolitan Championship, Argentinos Juniors. 14
                   goals.
                   — Leading Goalscorer, National Championship, Argentinos Juniors. 12 goals.
                   — Silver Olympia/Golden Olympia, Best Argentine Sportsman/Footballer,
                   Circle of Sports Journalists (CPD; Círculo de Periodistas Deportivos).
                   — Best American Footballer, El Mundo newspaper, Caracas.

                   1980 
                   — Golden Ball Award, Footballer of the Year, CEPA.
                   — Leading Goalscorer Metropolitan Championship, Argentinos Juniors. 25
                   goals.
                   — Leading Goalscorer National Championship, Argentinos Juniors. 18 goals.
                   — Silver Olympia for Best Argentine Footballer, (CPD).
                   — Best American Footballer, El Mundo.

                   1981 
                   — First Division Champion’s Medal, Metropolitan Championship, Boca Juniors.
                   — Silver Olympia, Best Argentine Footballer, (CPD).
                   — Golden Ball Award, Argentine Footballer of the Year, (CEPA).

                   1986 
                   — World Champions Medal, Argentina National Team, México ’86.
                   — Golden Ball Award, Best Player, México ’86, FIFA.
                   — Golden Ball Award, Best European Footballer, France Football magazine.
                   — Silver Olympia, Best European Footballer, (CPD).
                   — Golden Olympia, Best Argentine Sportsman, (CPD).
                   — Best American Footballer, El Mundo newspaper.
                   — Golden Onze, Best World Footballer, Onze magazine.

                   1987 
                   — Italian League Champions Medal, Serie A, Scudetto ’86/’87, Napoli.
                   — Leading Goalscorer, Italian League, Serie A, Napoli. 15 goals.
                   — Champions Medal, Copa de Italia, Napoli.
                   — Golden Onze, Best World Footballer, Onze.

                   1988 
                   — Leading Goalscorer, Copa de Italia, Napoli. 6 goals.
                   — Champions Medal, UEFA Cup ’87/’88, Napoli.

                   1989 
                   — Best American Footballer, El Mundo.

                   1990 
                   — Champions Medal, Italian League, Serie A, Scudetto ’89/’90, con el Napoli.
                   — Losing Finalists Medal, World Cup, Argentina National Team, Italy ’90.
                   — Best American Footballer, El Mundo.

                   1992 
                   — Best American Footballer, El Mundo.

                   1993 
                   — Cup Winner’s Medal, Artemio Franchi Cup, Argentina National Team.

                   1996 
                   — Special Golden Ball Career Award, France Football.

                   1999 
                   — Platinum Olympia Argentine Sportsman of the Century, (CPD) 

~Chapter 18

Chapters Index~

Chapter 20~