Shooting star lost sight of goal
Both his strikes for Argentina in that World Cup quarter-final victory at the Aztec Stadium, Mexico City, are arguably the most famous goals in the history of the competition but for contrasting reasons.
The game was teeming with enough controversy before the whistle blew it was the first time the two nations had met since the end of the Falklands War but it paled into insignificance shortly into the second half.
A looped back-pass to England goalkeeper Peter Shilton was pounced on by Maradona who arrived for the ball at the same time. He leapt and appeared to knock the ball into the back of his net with his trailing left hand.
Although TV replays clearly showed it did not touch his head, the referee allowed the goal to stand, much to England's amazement.
That disbelief quickly became shellshock four minutes later when Maradona scored what is often cited as the best goal of all time.
He took the ball up in his own half, spun round and left players trailing in his wake, then evaded several tackles and blocks before slotting the ball into the net.
Argentina went on to win the tournament with a 3-2 final win over West Germany. Never had one player contributed so much to a World Cup triumph.
The England boss at the time, Sir Bobby Robson, could only applaud the wonder goal despite feeling cheated by the "Hand of God" Maradona's explanation for the incident.
"That first goal was dubious; the second one was a miracle, a fantastic goal. It's marvellous that every now and then the world produces a player like Maradona. I didn't like his second goal, but I admire it," he said.
Just like his life on and off the pitch, the goals mirrored the contradictions of the man. He was by far the most talented player of his generation but was banned from football twice for failing doping tests and later became addicted to cocaine.
Diego Armando Maradona was the fifth of eight children of a factory worker. He was quickly spotted as a future football superstar and played for the junior team of Argentinos Juniors at the age of 10. He made his debut for the senior team 10 days before his 16th birthday.
National selection followed and he became Argentina's youngest debutant, aged 16, for a friendly against Hungary. He experienced heartache, though, when he was left out of the 1978 World Cup squad, which won the tournament on home soil, as he was deemed too young too handle the pressures.
A year later he secured success in his own grade as he helped Argentina lift the 1979 World Youth Cup in Japan.
Maradona was a key part of the national side for the 1982 World Cup finals in Spain and enjoyed a good tournament despite being sent off in a 3-1 defeat by arch-rivals Brazil which sealed their fate.
His performances secured his first transfer in the European market, excelling for Barcelona, but it was at his next club, long-suffering Napoli of Serie A in Italy, where he made his mark. A year after his 1986 World Cup exploits, he led the club to its first championship in its 60-year history and was catapulted to virtual sainthood status in the city.
More trophy success followed with the 1989 UEFA Cup and a second title in 1990, just before he captained Argentina to the World Cup final in which they lost 1-0 to Germany.
His love affair with the Italian champions ended the following season as his career declined amid various drug scandals. He failed a drug test for cocaine and was suspended from the game for 15 months. He refused to return to Napoli and moved back to Spain and then Argentina for a largely anonymous spell, before courting controversy again in another World Cup USA 1994. He played in the team's opening two matches before testing positive for the banned performance drug ephedrine and was again banned for 15 months. After a failed attempt at coaching, he made a final comeback for Boca Juniors in 1997 but failed a doping test for cocaine after the first match of the season. He retired from the game on his 37th birthday.
Maradona continued to battle against cocaine addiction but was admitted to hospital in Uruguay with heart problems related to drug abuse.
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