El Diego: The Autobiography of the World's Greatest Footballing Genius Paperback – Import, January 1, 2005

I've been waiting for the English translation of El Diego ever since I knew he wrote his autobiography and it was worth the wait. I saw Maradona in Mexico 86 and the other three World Cup he was in and also his fantastic years with Napoli. It is amazing, interesting and insightful to read the events that went on the pitch and off from the man himself. A life of controversy. No grey area for Diego who can be both hero and villian, God and Demon. I love Maradona as a footballer who gave me countless moments of beauty and excitement on the pitches. Now I get to know Maradona the man. His bad sides that the world know but he does have good sides to be admire which we don't know much about because he waited 40 years to tell. I love the book that I read it twice. It's very real and you feel what he felt as he tells all. You'll enjoy it even if you don't like Maradona but is one of the people who love the beautiful game. He takes you back in time, football wise as well. A must for El Diego fans. You don't need to read any other books about him after you read this.

Written with passion and coherence, Diego goes back to his humble beginnings and takes us all the way to being offered 100 million dollars for his commercial rights (remember it was the 80's...) ....but his story is not about money. It's about being the best and having the wits to understand it while being there....very well written (because the book was structured with a team of journalists...)....it is a pleasure to know about him straight up from him and not through somebody else's understanding of somebody else's life. Go ahead ...get it.

Diego Maradona was a genius on the football pitch. Maradona represented Argentina in four World Cups, from 1982-1994 - and was probably good enough to make the 1978 team as a 17-year-old. For a 5-year span in the late 1980's, Maradona was the best footballer in the world, with the culmination coming in 1986 when he led Argentina to the World Cup title. Unfortunately, Maradona's legacy is a checkered one, as he is remembered as much for multiple drug suspensions as his on-field accomplishments.The first half of the book is the best, chronicling Maradona's rise from the humble Buenos Aires neighborhood of Villa Fiorito through the Argentine junior ranks to European club football with Barcelona and Napoli, and success on the world stage. Maradona writes of his strong connection to his family, and his Argentine patriotism. One of the most admirable qualities of Maradona is his strong desire to play for the national side despite the demands of club play - often falling out with managers as a result.The second half of the book is more disappointing. Maradona wallows in self-pity a bit much for my liking. Suspensions for recreational drug use (cocaine possession - Maradona is a recovering addict) and a much-publicized banishment from the 1994 World Cup for using 'performance-enhancing' ephedrine, defeats in close matches due to poor officiating, continuing conflicts with almost all managers and owners, etc. On and on. The description of Maradona's comeback from 1991 suspension is very tedious, a litany of games and goals and fallings-out.The book has internal conflicts, but ... that is Maradona. For example, he claims he was treated unfairly for his 1994 disqualification for testing positive for trace amounts of a widely-used drug - yet he signed up Ben Johnson, Canada's disgraced sprinter and brazen steroid user, as a personal trainer. Maradona accepts little responsibility for his impulsive behavior, offering little in the way of introspection. He describes Fidel Castro as his mentor figure, despite making millions (and evidently spending more millions) on the trappings of athletic celebrity - Ferraris, villas, etc in the course of a well-moneyed career. Fortunately, the book arrests a steady slide by concluding with a list of Maradona's top 100 soccer players, which was interesting.Translated from Spanish, this autobiography lends some insight into a troubled and conflicted - yet supremely gifted, proud and patriotic - superstar. Maradona's image could use some rehabilitation, and this book is a start, albeit somewhat superficial. One gets the impression that it was sanitized.

As I grew up in Europe before sattelite TV and the Champions' League the only time I ever heard of Maradona was at the world cups. The book provides a really good account of his career for those of us who didn't know much beyond the international games, but it also reveals a lot about the man himself. Maradona's enthusiasm for the game and his story is remarkable. The book is well written and very readable.

Muy buen libro