Michael Batson

Maradona arrived in Belgrade on a private jet with film director, Kustinica . It’s unclear who the jet belonged to, whether a charter or Maradona. Given his run-ins with the authorities over the years and prodigious outgoings supporting a decadent and opulent lifestyle, not to mention those of his numerous hangers-on, how much money Maradona has, or what is income levels are. In 2009, he still owed the Italian authorities 29 million euros.

On the way into the city, Maradona spoke to Kustincia’s mother on the phone. It was the penultimate day of her life. Crawling through the narrow back streets of the Serbian capital to Kustincia’s house, Maradona took the opportunity to say hello to several bemused locals, some of whom seemed to recognise him. Given his physical changes over the years, the football legend has assumed somewhat chameleon qualities, barely recognisable from one era to another, one illness to the next; bloated drug addict to slimline rehabilitation and recovery.

He seems to possess the fallibility of Mike Tyson without the violence, his own worst enemy. These days his whiskers are grey but the hair bushy and black, the waistline slim.

After visiting the director’s house they went to the Red Star stadium. The last time Maradona was there was in his younger playing days wearing the famous red and blue stripes of Barcelona. After describing the scene that day, and that goal there is an impromptu kickabout with the assembled cast and crew.

He is tattooed and pierced. There is Che Guevara on his upper arm, Fidel on his calf. The images are a remarkable likeness, the artist managed a photographic likeness with the ink. Kustinica says if Maradona hadn’t been a footballer, he’d have been a revolutionary.

His ears sport sparkling earrings or indeterminable origin and then there’s those watches, one on each wrist.

At his addicted, bloated height, or depth depending on your view, Maradona seemed both sad and comical simultaneously. His speech, sober, is animated, so one wonders what he was like when trashed. He said when interviewed for the documentary, he regrets his addiction for he “missed” his daughters growing up, much of his life then a drug-fuelled blur. Amazingly, his playing career then was at its peak.

Maradona made his debut for Argentinos Juniors at age 15. He stayed five years before making the million dollar move in 1981 to Boca Juniors who, next to Brazilian giants Flamengo, probably the most popular team in South America. Incredibly, while at the Juniors, Maradona was the subject of an audacious transfer request from Sheffield United.

Maradona played in four consecutive World Cups for Argentina.  It would’ve been five, but Cesar Menotti, Argentina’s World Cup winning coach of 1978, didn’t include the teenage Maradona in his squad for the tournament, thinking he was too young.  However, he would team up under Menotti after his move to FC Barcelona in late 1982, winning the Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup in his first season with the Catalan giants.

His stay at the Nou Camp was not a happy time. Bouts of illness marred his stay, including hepatitis, followed by serious injury, a broken leg inflicted by the notorious Antoni Goikoetxea, something the Basque allegedly still boasts about.  He had run-ins with officialdom and the club’s executive, eventually falling foul of Barcelona’s club president, Josep Lluis Nunez y Clemente, culminating with a demand to be transferred out from Barcelona in 1984.

Clemente was a property tycoon who once sacked the entire Barcelona first team with the exception of its goalkeeper, so he wasn’t a man to be taken lightly.  Shortly afterwards, Maradona was transferred to Napoli in Italy's Serie A for record fee of £6.9m.

At Napoli, Maradona reached the peak of his playing powers.  He was idolised by the Neapolitans who saw their club enter its most successful period winning Serie A twice and finishing runners-up twice.  The club also won the Italian Super Cup and the UEFA Cup.  The documentary features footage of some of Maradona’s on field scoring feats.  Spectacular goals, such as scoring direct from corner kicks, overhead “bicycle kicks” and running through entire defences before slotting the ball home.

With Maradona on board Napoli rode a wave of success. This went deeper than football. For the first time in eons, the impoverished south of Italy could compete with the industrial north, the country being virtually two states within the one political entity. Maradona recalls with relish the emphatic triumph over Juventus of Turin, 6-1.

This was the first time such a humiliation had been inflicted upon the northern giants by a team from Italy’s south.

The people of Naples beat “the lawyer” as Maradona referred to Gianni Agnelli, the industrial patriarch, friends to heads of state, billionaire, owner of the largest private company in Europe, the Fabbrica Italiana Automonili Torino, or FIAT. The man who would once phone JFK to see if he wanted to pop over for the weekend, and then send a private jet to go pick him up.

Maradona’s greatest triumph over the north of Italy cost the whole country dear. During the hosting of the 1990 World Cup, Italy were drawn to play Argentina for a place in the final, with the game to be played in Naples. Maradona turned the Neapolitans against Italy, with the stadium largely supporting the South Americans, who then proceeded through to the final, which they eventually lost to Germany. Allegedly, the mafia lost heavily also, as they had “arranged” a Germany versus Italy final.

After that Maradona claimed “they” were out to get him. In 1991, he was suspended from football for 15 months in after failing a drug test.

Cocaine use plagued his time in Italy. He had been fined a total of US$70,000 for cocaine use during his time with Napoli, for missing games and training, ostensibly due to “stress”.

He next moved to Sevilla in Spain, seemingly a shadow of his former playing self, before returning home to again play for Boca and Newell’s Old Boys. His last World Cup was in the United States, a country he despises. Here he got in strife again, and was banned for taking ephedrine.

Thereafter he slipped in and out of controversy. There were disputes with journalists involving firearms, bouts of ill-health and eventually a return to football. He was manager of the Argentina national team at the 2010 World Cup.

He holds legendary status in his home country. During the documentary, Kustinica stops by the legendary Cocodrillo night club, famous for its raunchy dancers. Manager Omar says the girls complain whenever Maradona stops by, or there are clips of him on the television. “All the customers eyes are on him,” he says. “They totally ignore the floor show.”

Maradona is now followed in more ways than one by Lionel Messi, the boy wonder, the next superstar of Argentina, who now also plays at Barcelona. Like Maradona, he’s left-footed. Small of stature, he was given growth hormone treatment as a boy, and with the ability like Maradona to open up defences.

My lasting image of Maradona is the photo of him on the ball during the 1986 World Cup. Also in the shot are six Belgian defenders, and they still were unable to stop him.

Whatever is in store for Maradona in future, it’s unlikely to be either quiet or conventional.