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- HBO’s Maradona documentary is an incredible insight into the career of soccer’s ‘Golden Boy’
- It gives a fascinating insight into Maradona’s career and character, focusing heavily on his time at Napoli and Word Cup success with Argentina in 1986
- The story captures your attention from the start and never lets up – it is one of the best sports documentaries around
On 25th November 2020 sadly El Pibe de Oro (the Golden Boy), Diego Armando Maradona passed away at the age of 60.
Watching HBO’s Diego Maradona documentary (released in 2019) after the sad passing of who I consider to be the great football player of all time really brings back his utter brilliance, and his faults.
The opening scene is something to behold and excellently pieced together by director Asif Kapadia. It gives the viewer a huge sense of the pressure that Maradona faced when moving to Napoli in 1984.
Maradona Documentary
- Produced by HBO in 2019
- Directed by Asif Kapadia, who previously helmed the critically acclaimed Senna (2010)
- To accompany the movie, I’d suggest reading Jimmy Burns’ book entitled Hand Of God – it’s a fantastic read
From there, the documentary doesn’t let up. Considering when Maradona came to prominence, with a lack of internet and smartphones, it is staggering to see how quickly his talent was spotted and how his fame grew from his teens.
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It rattles through his earlier years and then centres on the pivotal years of his career, 1984-1991. It covers his unrepeatable performance in the 1984 Word Cup (obviously focusing heavily on the Hand Of God) and his drive to deliver multiple Serie A titles to Napoli.
The archival footage is stunning to watch, as is Maradona’s insane performances on the pitch. He is unstoppable both as a player and as a character. One standout moment is his interview after clinching a second, improbable Serie A title. He pretty much calls out the then President Corrado Ferlaino for not letting him leave the club.
Rating:
Maradona is undoubtedly one of the best documentaries I’ve ever seen. It fits into a current trend of outstanding sports documentaries, from Sunderland ’til I die to The Last Dance.
It is an irrepressible watch – a captivating story, amazing character in Diego and a real blast from the past. You must watch this.
