Diego Maradona was worshiped by all around the world, even by those who were not a fan of football. From the opponents who wanted to applaud his goals, to then legends of the game bowing down to his solo goals, Maradona was an “unparalleled magician” and “the eternal” as called by Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi respectively.
Although Maradona passed away following a cardiac arrest at the age of 60 in 2020, the Argentine’s words still motivates millions of fans globally even today. One such quote by Maradona was “When you enter the pitch, life disappears, problems disappear, everything disappears.”
While the exact date of Maradona’s words are hard to trace, but it is believed that the Argentine superstar made these comments around 2001 when he retired from international football.
What is the meaning of Maradona’s quote?
The aforementioned Maradona’s quote has a deep meaning. It talks about the power of absolute presence and ultimate escape. While saying these words, Maradona was describing the his great escape from the off-the-field pressures that engulfed him. As soon as he entered a football pitch, Maradona completely focussed on his game, leaving everything behind.
Why Maradona said this quote?
Maradona’s life was an absolute circus. When not playing football, Maradona was being constantly hunted by the paparazzi. He was also trapped by severe substance abuse and was also understood to have been associated with the Italian mafia during his Napoli days. On top of that, there was burden of carrying Argentina single-handedly on a football pitch.
But the moment he put his foot past the white touchline, none of those mattered for Maradona. The rectangular field of 105 meters by 68 meters was Maradona’s canvas for those 90 minutes. For those one and half hours, Maradona was free as the controversies couldn’t follow him on grass.
The quote also highlights how sports can simply erase the complexities of human existence. While real life is complicated and full of gray areas, football is simple – which has a ball, an opponent and a net.
Diego Maradona’s career stats for Argentina
In 91 matches for Argentina, Maradona scored 34 goals and played in four FIFA World Cups. He will mostly be remembered for the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico where he single-handedly won the coveted trophy for Argentina. Maradona won the Golden Ball in 1986 World Cup.
The highlight was Maradona’s career was Argentina’s 1986 World Cup quarterfinal against England for two reasons. The first goal he scored was an unpenalised handling foul, which is known as the ‘Hand of God’. For the second goal, Maradone dribbled past five England defenders to score the ‘Goal of the Century’, voted by FIFA.com voters in 2002.