Antônio De Oliveira Filho was born in the city of Araquara in the Brazilian state of São Paulo on 5 October 1960. His nickname, Careca – which roughly translates as ‘bald’ – came…
Tag: maradona
In 1958, the beginning of the decline of La Nuestra – the skill-based, extravagant and truly unique brand of football which had characterised Argentine football – could be traced back to one…
DIEGO MARADONA IS AN IMMORTAL ICON IN NAPLES, a figure with almost divine right within his adopted city and the Stadio San Paolo. In the Campania capital, there is no Pelé, Ronaldo or…
Illustration by Federico Manasse There are certain footballers that transcend the beautiful game; mere mortals who watch football see them as ethereal beings. These are the players who elevate the game to…
This feature is part of Diego Maradona: the World Cup diaries And so to the end of this story, which has intertwined the experiences and narrative of four World Cups, a footballing…
This feature is part of Diego Maradona: the World Cup diaries BEFORE THIS NARRATIVE skips to the 1990 World Cup in Italy, there is a day that needs to be commented upon…
This feature is part of Diego Maradona: the World Cup diaries FOUR YEARS CAN feel like a lifetime when you are a child. Since Spain 82 I had busied myself with playing…
This feature is part of Diego Maradona: the World Cup diaries Diego Maradona played in four World Cups; in each one he left a different indelible imprint around the globe, none more…
THE STADIO DELLE ALPI was a cold, cavernous, characterless stadium. The architectural monstrosity was designed by Studio Hutter and built from scratch ahead of the 1990 World Cup. Tucked away on the…
In the historic Italian city of Naples, football goes very much beyond the game. This is the story of one man’s journey through the tifosa-laden streets of the Mezzogiorno and his Enterprise…
”Mi amigos” is how Diego Maradona is known to describe them. Ali Bin Nasser and Bogdan Dotchev are not on cordial terms with one another. Over three decades on, they still blame each…
AS 2015 approached its conclusion one team had dominated the European football landscape. The five trophies claimed by Barcelona set a standard that many will struggle to match. Just as impressive as…
Football would be such a dull thing if everyone played by the rules. As much as the sport needs admirable professionalism, loyalty and players with an unwavering devotion to a clean lifestyle,…
FOOTBALL IS CAPABLE OF BEING PURE THEATRE, producing storylines that would be tossed aside by even the most shameless Hollywood scribe as too implausible. Liverpool in Istanbul in 2005, Manchester United in…
Diego Maradona’s relationship with Naples with unlike that of any footballer with a city before or since. Indeed the city will never forget its adopted hero