God?s left foot soldier

Pele and Diego Armando Maradona have little in common ? except that the two are the greatest ever to grace the Beautiful Game.

When Diego Armando Maradona was gasping for breath in a Buenos Aires hospital, Pele was relaxing in Switzerland. The latter had developed a small problem in his left eye. While a cocaine-addicted Maradona battled for life in the ICU, Pele returned to Sao Paulo, got himself operated and was soon declared fit by a team of doctors at the Albert Einstein Hospital.

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Such a turn of events does not come as a surprise. Pele and Maradona have very little in common — except that the two are the greatest ever to grace the Beautiful Game. While the magical Brazilian is widely known as football’s best ambassador for his finesse and near-impeccable lifestyle, Maradona is the misdirected genius, the hero stashed with flaws. As a player, the Argentinian often took the game to gigantic heights — only to bring it crashing down by shameful acts off the park.

Yet, Maradona is perhaps the greatest footballer in the post-War era, even a shade better than Pele himself. While most of the Brazilian’s exploits were mainly confined to the national team, Maradona excelled for both Argentina and in club football. In the modern day game, the biggest test is to play in the ruthless, professional circuit that is European club football. Maradona passed that test with flying colours especially when he played for Napoli in the Italian league of the Eighties. And he mustered enough energy to guide Argentina to a World Cup title and a runners-up slot between 1986 and 1990.