<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"  Whatever doubts endure about the character of Diego Maradona, the goal he scored against Bobby Robson\u2019s England in the 1986 World Cup stands as one of, if not the, best in the history of the game.  I am talking here not of his first goal in that quarter-final, a\u00A0clear piece of mischief helped by abysmally poor refereeing, but that second winning goal of\u00A0sublime craft and execution.  It began with Maradona picking up the ball inside his own half and keeping it so close to his boots that it seemed glued to them. He then proceeded to\u00A0carve his way through the\u00A0English side before finally beating Shilton with the effortless movement of a slalom skier. As Maradona\u2019s teammate Jorge Valdano put it later, \u201CIt was Diego\u2019s personal adventure, one that was totally spectacular.\u201D  Both goals against England epitomised man and legend. The\u00A0first showed Maradona the urchin born of Buenos Aires not only cheating but getting away with it \u2014 an Argentine artful dodger. The second showed Maradona the naturally gifted player, whose low sense of gravity, acceleration, control and accuracy translated into unrivalled greatness on the field.  His performance in leading Argentina to ultimate conquest in the World Cup in Mexico earned him the Golden Ball award as the best player title of the tournament. Standing at 5ft 5in, and yet, at his peak, with the strength of will and balance in body to withstand an extraordinary catalogue of physical abuse, some of it self-inflicted, Maradona combined the skill and vision of\u00A0a Pel\u00E9 \u2014 with whom he shares\u00A0the title of Fifa\u2019s Player of\u00A0the\u00A0Century \u2014 with the versatility of\u00A0Johan Cruyff, the inspiration behind the best of\u00A0Dutch and Spanish football.  Maradona\u2019s helter-skelter life provides a fascinating story of a\u00A0failed genius who constantly courted controversy in his rise to\u00A0fame. The legend begins with the boy Maradona showing off\u00A0his remarkable ball control in\u00A0the dusty playing field of the shanty town where he was born.  In his formative years, Maradona played memorable matches for FC Barcelona and Napoli, gaining a reputation as the best player of the Spanish and Italian leagues. But he later hit headlines because of his developing cocaine addiction, culminating with his dramatic expulsion from the 1994 World Cup after a positive drugs test.  Despite some short-lived comebacks as a player in his\u00A0native Argentina and an unsuccessful spell as manager of\u00A0the Argentine squad in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Maradona never regained the pinnacle he reached in Mexico.  Amid continuing off-field controversies, Maradona, an overweight 53-year-old, has spent the last year as \u201Cspiritual coach\u201D and part-time player in a\u00A0fifth division Argentine club, Deportivo Riestra. He has struggled to perpetuate the myth of his own godlike status, without assuming responsibility for his failings and the way he has squandered his talent. It remains his ultimate flaw.  The June issue of Esquire, starring Bobby Moore, Pele, Diego Maradona, Johann Cruyff, Franz Beckenbauer and Zinedine Zidane is available to buy now from all (most / some) good newsagents and as a digital edition.  *** More Sport:17 Reasons England Will Definitely Win The World CupWhy Do Brazil&amp;#039;s Best Footballers All Leave?England&amp;#039;s 8 Most Heart-Breaking World Cup Moments*** "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.esquire.co.uk/culture/news/a6353/world-cup-legends-2-diego-maradona/>