Controversial Maradona getting Argentina results
Argentina coach Diego Maradona is one of the most controversial figures in international soccer, turning heads for more than just his team's play at the 2010 FIFA South Africa World Cup. But the former star of the Argentinean national team, the former TV personality, and the former drug addict is beginning to draw grudging respect for his coaching, if not his methods, with his team now looking like one of the favourites to win the tournament. They take on Germany in the quarterfinals next.
Maradona is perhaps most famous in English-speaking circles for his infamous "Hand of God" moment in 1986, when he deliberately swatted the ball into the English net to score in a 1986 World Cup elimination match. He later added another goal which was voted the "Goal of the Century" by FIFA later on, but the deliberate cheating on the goal, which went uncaught by the ref, left many English fans with a sour taste in their mouth.
But Maradona has also done the exact opposite of what England managed at this World Cup. Unlike the English, who looked unstoppable in their qualifying matches but fell apart at the World Cup, Maradona's Argentina side looked shaky throughout their qualifiers and barely scraped through to the Cup. Since then though it's been Maradona's squad that's looked unstoppable, winning all four of their games thus far, including a victory over Mexico to advance to the quarter finals.
A close rapport with the players
Unlike some national coaches, such as England coach Fabio Capello and France coach Raymond Domenech, Maradona became Argentina's coach without a long history of having coached elite-level European clubs. Instead, he was chosen more because of his playing experience and his rapport with the players. He described his ability to get the most of this players when he spoke of how he had so much talent that superstar players sometimes had to sit on the bench.
"My relationship with the lads is excellent. The heavyweights that are left on the bench when they come on they do well out of respect for the group, the manager and the shirt," Maradona said.
Argentina's stars are coming into gear, with a 3-1 victory over Mexico setting the stage for a hugely important match against Germany. Their talent pool is one of the deepest out of any of the 32-team field that entered the tournament, making the issue about trying to get them to work together as a team, which Maradona has done admirably.
Antics at 2010 World Cup
Maradona has drawn as much attention for his off-field antics than his team's play. He reportedly ran over the foot of a cameraman and then blamed him for it, asking the man why he had his foot there.
He raised eyebrows when he promised to run naked through the streets of Buenos Aires' should his team manage the improbability and win a World Cup in 2010.
"If we win the World Cup, I'll get naked and run around the Obelisk in the centre of the city," he said.
He's also given his players public advice about their personal lives, advising them on how to properly have s*x before matches. And he even got into a high-profile dispute with Brazilian soccer legend Pele after he said Maradona only took his team's coaching position for the money. He told Pele to "go back to the museum" and criticised him for supposedly not having belief in Africa's abilities to host a World Cup.
But with all the focus on Maradona, it's takes away some of the spotlight from his team, giving them perhaps a much needed relief from pressure on the biggest stage in the world. From being considered a major question mark coming into the Cup, Argentina has fast become one of the most impressive teams thus far, whatever their coach's methods.
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