The story of the most remarkable-and controversial-World Cup triumph in history, told in a long-awaited firsthand account from Diego Maradona, its most legendary player. "This is Diego Armando Maradona speaking, the man who scored two goals against England and one of the few Argentines who knows how much the World Cup actually weighs" In June 1986, Diego Maradona-one of soccer's greatest and most polarizing figures-proudly hoisted the World Cup above his head. Since then, Argentina's World Cup victory has become the stuff of legend, particularly their infamous victory over England-only four years after the country's defeat in the Falklands War-which featured arguably the best goal in history (Maradona's "Goal of the Century") and the worst (the notorious "Hand of God"). But Argentina's victory came after months of struggle and discord within the team, including the Argentine government's attempt to remove the team's management, a lack of equipment that forced the players to buy their own uniforms, and an argument that caused the team's captain to quit on the eve of the tournament. Now, thirty years after Argentina's magical victory, Maradona tells his side of the story, vividly recounting how he led the team to win one of the greatest World Cup triumphs of all time.

Author Biography

Diego Maradona was born in 1961, in Villa Fiorito, Buenos Aires, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest soccer players in history. He played on Argentina's national team in four World Cups, as well as for Argentinos Juniors, Boca, Barcelona, Naples, Seville, and Newell's Old Boys. Maradona lives in Dubai, where he manages Al Wasl Football Club. Daniel Arcucci is a journalist who has covered soccer in Argentina for over three decades. He first met Diego Maradona in 1985 and has interviewed him more than 150 times since, including when he covered the 1986 World Cup.