Colourful, controversial, outspoken and possessed of sublime skills, Diego Maradona is quite simply one of the greatest players ever to have graced a football pitch.
In his native Argentina Maradona has achieved an almost mythical status as the World Cup winning captain who refuses to conform. And wherever football is played the name of Maradona is synonymous with everything that is exciting about the game.
The mesmerizing skills of Argentina's legendary Number 10 have reaped glittering rewards. To club cups and league titles won with Boca Juniors, Barcelona and Napoli, Maradona can add a World Cup and a slew of personal honours.
The striker from Villa Fiorito, a run-down suburb of Buenos Aires, was named Best Footballer in the World for 1986-87, World Player of the Year by World Soccer Magazine in 1986, FIFA Player of the Century in 2000 and in 2002 a goal against England in the 1986 World Cup was voted FIFA Goal of the Century.
That 1986 World Cup in Mexico, in which Maradona captained his country to victory in the final against West Germany, was the pinnacle of his career and highlighted the pocket-sized striker's genius and controversial character.
His 'goal of the century' in the quarter-final against England, in which he ran more than half the length of the pitch and dribbled past five English players, followed the notorious 'hand of God' moment, punching the ball into the net past a bemused Peter Shilton.
Maradona made his professional debut at 16 and joined Boca Juniors the following year. He moved to Barcelona for a world record £5 million and after helping them to success in the Copa del Rey, Copa de la Liga and Spanish Super Cup, he left for Napoli for another world record £6.9 million.
He breathed new life into the Italian side, winning Serie A, Italian Cup, Italian Super Cup and UEFA Cup titles. Maradona finally retired in 1997 with 91 caps and 34 international goals, but remains a true sporting icon.