Diego Maradona is unquestionably part of the conversation when it comes to the debate over which footballer is the greatest in history.One of the most naturally talented players of all time - if not *the* most naturally talented player ever - the world-class forward inspired Argentina to glory at the 1986 World Cup.He also led an unfashionable Napoli side to their first and only Serie A titles in 1987 and 1990.Maradona stood at just 5ft 5in tall but was deceptively strong. Opponents tended to bounce off him as he dribbled his way towards goal.Often, the only way to stop Maradona would be to foul him.
Back in the 1980s, players could get away with an awful lot more than they do these days, so many of the challenges on him were brutal.A two-minute video has gone viral on Twitter showing some of the brutality that Maradona had to endure during his illustrious career.Watch it for yourself here…
Unbelievable. Can you imagine Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo putting up with that on a weekly basis? Thankfully, it just wouldn’t happen now.
They're protected by referees so much more than El Diego was back in his day and rightly so.
This footage is a reminder of Maradona’s courage and determination to continue wanting the ball at every opportunity.
The caption says: ‘What’s wrong with Maradona? Why does he walk like this?’
This refers to Maradona struggling to walk freely in recent years.
Sad footage has emerged on a couple of occasions of Maradona, who turns 60 in October, hobbling about.
It was revealed in 2018 that Maradona has no cartilage left in his knees. He underwent surgery in the same year in a bid to relieve some of the pain.
"I know Diego going back to 2004 when I operated on his right knee, 27 days after he said goodbye to football at the Bombonera," German Ochoa, Maradona’s surgeon, was quoted saying by Goal.com two years ago.
"Then in June before the World Cup we did a basic treatment so that he could carry out his activities in Russia in the best way possible.
"Maradona has severe osteoarthritis in his two knees and has no cartilage left, the bones rub together and it is a serious problem as it causes a lot of pain, inflammation and difficulty to move.
"The solution is to operate and put in prostheses.
"It would not get to the point that Diego could not walk, it would not get that bad. Advances in technology offer a solution and the most prudent and intelligent option is to operate."