Lionel Messi is widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, and even he admired Diego Maradona. Here’s what Messi wrote on Instagram the day Maradona died:

“A very sad day for all Argentines and for football. He leaves us but does not leave, because Diego is eternal. I keep all the beautiful moments lived with him and I wanted to take the opportunity to send my condolences to all his family and friends. RIP.”

What Did Diego Maradona Achieve in His Career? This Maradona Documentary Review evaluates

Maradona’s biggest club achievement was turning Napoli into a genuine force in Italy’s Serie A. Before his arrival, Napoli was a yo-yo club, bouncing between promotion and relegation.

The documentary doesn’t shy away from the class and regional prejudice Napoli faced during that era. Wealthier clubs in the north — Juventus in Turin, AC Milan, and Inter Milan — looked down on Naples and its football club, and the show uses period language to capture just how sharp that divide was.

On the international stage, Maradona led Argentina to World Cup glory in 1986 and to the final again in 1990. The 1986 World Cup in Mexico is widely considered the high point of his career — and, for many football fans, of his generation.

For English fans, though, Maradona’s name is forever tied to one moment: the controversial goal against England at the 1986 World Cup. It’s a moment that still divides opinion decades later, and one worth revisiting with fresh eyes rather than old grudges.

Gary Lineker, who played in that same tournament, has described being starstruck meeting Maradona at a charity match years later — a small sign of how much respect he commanded even from rivals.

Diego vs. Maradona: The Story Behind the Documentary (Spoilers)

One of the documentary’s central ideas is that there were two men inside one player: Diego and Maradona.

Diego was the shy street kid — a devoted, well-behaved family man. Maradona was the arrogant, larger-than-life figure who took over on the football pitch.

When he first signed for Napoli, Diego was still very much present. But as media scrutiny intensified, Diego receded and Maradona took over more of his life, on and off the pitch. His growing cocaine addiction accelerated that shift. Maradona was drawn to nightlife, drugs, and prostitutes. He became entangled with Naples’ underworld, eventually crossing paths with the Sicilian Mafia.

At one low point, he reportedly asked to leave Napoli — perhaps hoping to reconnect with Diego — but the club’s chairman refused to let him go, keeping him in an environment where the Mafia, cocaine, and temptation were never far away.

The Downfall: Italy vs. Argentina, 1990 World Cup

The turning point in Maradona’s story came during the 1990 World Cup semi-final, held in Naples, pitting host nation Italy against Argentina.

Maradona publicly appealed to Neapolitan fans for support against their own national team. According to the documentary, that support largely didn’t materialize — though accounts vary, and some fans in the stadium reportedly did back him.

The match went to a penalty shoot-out. Maradona scored the winning penalty for Argentina after Italy missed one of theirs, and Argentina advanced.

That result made Maradona public enemy number one in Italy. He’d already made enemies by turning a small club into champions; now he’d knocked the host nation out of the World Cup on home soil.

Ban, Scandal, and Return to Argentina

Maradona was banned from football for a year after testing positive for cocaine, and received a separate suspended criminal sentence connected to drug and prostitution charges. FIFA extended the ban worldwide, meaning he couldn’t play professional football anywhere during that period.

He returned to Buenos Aires to sit out the ban, before later playing for Seville, Newell’s Old Boys, and finally his boyhood club, Boca Juniors.

Final Verdict: Is the Maradona Documentary Worth Watching?

The documentary argues that Maradona’s time in Naples encapsulates his entire life story — extraordinary highs paired with devastating lows. As Maradona himself put it: “I am not a monk.”

At around two hours, the documentary runs slightly long, and it isn’t flawless. But it’s a compelling watch, especially for anyone who remembers watching Maradona play live.

Would I recommend it? Yes.

Where Maradona Ranks Among the Greatest Footballers of All Time

Maradona was a flawed genius. Many argue that Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo surpassed him — and by the numbers, both scored more goals and won more individual honors. That’s a fair point.

But Maradona’s gift was different: he could single-handedly carry weaker teams to glory. With Napoli, he won two Serie A titles, a UEFA Cup, and an Italian Supercup — remarkable achievements for a club with far fewer resources than Italy’s traditional powerhouses.

For my generation, Maradona was the greatest footballer we watched. Ultimately, debates about the “greatest of all time” always come down to subjectivity — and that’s exactly why they never get old.

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