Red card for Maradona

rossyl

Member
Messages
3,312
Maradona is the best player, ever.

Anything else, is sour grapes, or about the person off the pitch, not on it.

Those in the UK who detest Maradona will often in the same breath will speak positively of George Best - great on the pitch, like Maradona - but George Best was a wife beater, cheater, liar, drunk and hated by many of those who were close to him. They both were flawed as people.

Maradona came from exceptionally poor beginnings. A slum. No running water, or mains energy. He had no guidance when he became a global sensation. It doesn't excuse his actions, but it is important to be aware of his background. He was not wrapped in cotton wool, like Messi (as people have compared him to) or other modern day sports stars. Nor had the family around him to guide him.

Most have also missed that in Napoli and across Argentina, he transcended his sport. He is a cultural icon. Neither Messi nor Ronaldo will ever achieve that.

As for sportsmanship - see the Rugby Bloodgate, or McLaren stealing Ferrari designs, Roger Federer's wife and Stan Wawrinka, and just about every modern day footballer and diving or overplaying a foul. On that topic, look at how Maradona was tackled in 1982 and 1986 World Cups, people tried to hack his legs off. He played on, went round them, scored goals. If we upheld sportsmanship above all else, we would not watch any sport.

As for hating Argentians because of the Falklands. The Falklands saved the Navy, without that war there was to be minimal funding and sale of vessels, so you can thank them for that!
 

Wanderer

Member
Messages
5,791
Nat Lofthouse, scored twice in the 58 FA Cup against United's Phoenix team.
My Dad was at the final, the Bolton team bus was stoned by MU fans at Besses O'th Barn on it's way from Manchester London rd (Piccadilly) to Bolton. Semi final was at Bolton vs Wolves and my dad said they slaughtered us, off the lines, post, bar, saves the lot, but we won 2-1 I think.


My dad was also at the Burnden disaster, aged 13 and saw 33 dead people....

78241
 

DaveT

Member
Messages
2,830
Sorry Wattie, it is sport and sportsmanship for me is everything. In my opinion Messi is a far better player and sets a sporting standard. He will be remembered for his football. Maradona for his cheating and his fall from grace. No role model for me.
I would rather watch Rugby anyway!
Great footballer and great role model are two different measurements.

Would agree not a great role model but look at where he came from as a child.

As a footballer he's the best I have ever seen and I think Messi is by far the best of the current generation.
 
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Phil the Brit

Member
Messages
1,499
Maradona is the best player, ever.

Anything else, is sour grapes, or about the person off the pitch, not on it.

Those in the UK who detest Maradona will often in the same breath will speak positively of George Best - great on the pitch, like Maradona - but George Best was a wife beater, cheater, liar, drunk and hated by many of those who were close to him. They both were flawed as people.

Maradona came from exceptionally poor beginnings. A slum. No running water, or mains energy. He had no guidance when he became a global sensation. It doesn't excuse his actions, but it is important to be aware of his background. He was not wrapped in cotton wool, like Messi (as people have compared him to) or other modern day sports stars. Nor had the family around him to guide him.

Most have also missed that in Napoli and across Argentina, he transcended his sport. He is a cultural icon. Neither Messi nor Ronaldo will ever achieve that.

As for sportsmanship - see the Rugby Bloodgate, or McLaren stealing Ferrari designs, Roger Federer's wife and Stan Wawrinka, and just about every modern day footballer and diving or overplaying a foul. On that topic, look at how Maradona was tackled in 1982 and 1986 World Cups, people tried to hack his legs off. He played on, went round them, scored goals. If we upheld sportsmanship above all else, we would not watch any sport.

As for hating Argentians because of the Falklands. The Falklands saved the Navy, without that war there was to be minimal funding and sale of vessels, so you can thank them for that!

Can't really agree with the last paragraph about the Navy.
 

Hurricane52

Member
Messages
1,211
There have been many other greats Cruyff, Eusebio, Puskas and Di Stefano to name a few. Thing with Pele is although he is a legend he played in a good Brazil team with good players around him.
So right. There are hundreds of millions more savvy football fans than I, but a lot of the adulation depends on the media reception at the time and is then often perpetuated by pundits as times go by.
 

midlifecrisis

Member
Messages
16,102
There have been many other greats Cruyff, Eusebio, Puskas and Di Stefano to name a few. Thing with Pele is although he is a legend he played in a good Brazil team with good players around him.
Not forgetting, Duncan Edwards, Tommy Taylor, Mark Jones, Geoff Bent, Roger Byrne, Eddie Colman, David Pegg, and Billy Whelan. Young lives sadly lost on 6th February 1958. What they would have achieved, you wouldn't have heard of the above.
 
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Wanderer

Member
Messages
5,791
The bile and vitriol spouted towards Maradona in this thread is embarrassing (almost as embarrassing as the ignorance of the denial of his genius). You wonder why people outside Britain find the brits to be small-minded, self-important and largely dislikable?!
We are certainly perceived as self-arrogant almost everywhere in the world.....
 

Contigo

Sponsor
Messages
18,376
Maradona is the best player, ever.

Anything else, is sour grapes, or about the person off the pitch, not on it.

Those in the UK who detest Maradona will often in the same breath will speak positively of George Best - great on the pitch, like Maradona - but George Best was a wife beater, cheater, liar, drunk and hated by many of those who were close to him. They both were flawed as people.

Maradona came from exceptionally poor beginnings. A slum. No running water, or mains energy. He had no guidance when he became a global sensation. It doesn't excuse his actions, but it is important to be aware of his background. He was not wrapped in cotton wool, like Messi (as people have compared him to) or other modern day sports stars. Nor had the family around him to guide him.

Most have also missed that in Napoli and across Argentina, he transcended his sport. He is a cultural icon. Neither Messi nor Ronaldo will ever achieve that.

As for sportsmanship - see the Rugby Bloodgate, or McLaren stealing Ferrari designs, Roger Federer's wife and Stan Wawrinka, and just about every modern day footballer and diving or overplaying a foul. On that topic, look at how Maradona was tackled in 1982 and 1986 World Cups, people tried to hack his legs off. He played on, went round them, scored goals. If we upheld sportsmanship above all else, we would not watch any sport.

As for hating Argentians because of the Falklands. The Falklands saved the Navy, without that war there was to be minimal funding and sale of vessels, so you can thank them for that!
I’d say Pele personally but defo agree Maradona was special.
 

outrun

Member
Messages
5,017
Maradona is the best player, ever.

Anything else, is sour grapes, or about the person off the pitch, not on it.

Those in the UK who detest Maradona will often in the same breath will speak positively of George Best - great on the pitch, like Maradona - but George Best was a wife beater, cheater, liar, drunk and hated by many of those who were close to him. They both were flawed as people.

Maradona came from exceptionally poor beginnings. A slum. No running water, or mains energy. He had no guidance when he became a global sensation. It doesn't excuse his actions, but it is important to be aware of his background. He was not wrapped in cotton wool, like Messi (as people have compared him to) or other modern day sports stars. Nor had the family around him to guide him.

Most have also missed that in Napoli and across Argentina, he transcended his sport. He is a cultural icon. Neither Messi nor Ronaldo will ever achieve that.

As for sportsmanship - see the Rugby Bloodgate, or McLaren stealing Ferrari designs, Roger Federer's wife and Stan Wawrinka, and just about every modern day footballer and diving or overplaying a foul. On that topic, look at how Maradona was tackled in 1982 and 1986 World Cups, people tried to hack his legs off. He played on, went round them, scored goals. If we upheld sportsmanship above all else, we would not watch any sport.

As for hating Argentians because of the Falklands. The Falklands saved the Navy, without that war there was to be minimal funding and sale of vessels, so you can thank them for that!

Em, it’s only those in England that detest him. For me, he’s the most naturally talented player ever. There have been other great players but he was the one. He had a bit of the Pablo Escobar about him. A madman who did the most outrageous things but managed to somehow still galvanise people and make himself into a legend.