Diego Maradona review: Tackling the murky side of a footballing god

It’s not as upsetting as Senna or Amy but Asif Kapadia’s latest documentary is definitely shocking. We learn that in 1984, when Maradona went to play for SSC Napoli, Neapolitans were viewed as “the Africans of Italy”. Juventus fans would throw bars of soap and yell: “Wash them with fire.”

Meanwhile, as the slum kid from Buenos Aires turned the club’s fortunes around, he found favour with young Camorra boss Carmine Giuliano. The latter, in one clip, could hardly seem more starstruck. Moments later we see a dead body slumped in a car. We also hear wire-tapped conversations between Maradona and a female goon, desperate to supply him with prostitutes and cocaine.

If Maradona didn’t exist it would be necessary for Martin Scorsese to invent him. Kapadia interviewed the World Cup winner (now 58 and living in Dubai). Obviously, discussing the Camorra is dangerous, but Maradona doesn’t even address the issue of whether he and the rest of the Napoli team were forced to throw league matches in 1988.

Nor does he have anything new to say about his famous assault on Italian nationalism in 1990. The mercurial socialist told his Neapolitan supporters, just before a World Cup semi-final between Argentina and Italy, “Napoli non e Italia” (Naples isn’t Italy). Maradona’s mischievous statement challenges traditional tribal loyalties. You long for more details.

Working-class hero: Diego Maradona playing for Napoli 

As ever with Kapadia, we’re spared talking heads and are blitzed by archive footage, some of it familiar, much of it never seen before. The football is thrilling. Not so much the “hand of God” incident (an exhausted topic), but the games with Napoli that show Maradona skipping past his opponents.

Just as electrifying is a party during which he learns that his career at Napoli is over. For almost two hours we’ve watched him grinning or on the move. Here, suddenly, he resembles an emperor who’s just realised he’s not wearing any clothes.

This is a portrait of a working-class hero that ignores a whole pile of warts (including homophobia and alleged violence towards women). Still, even when it drags, it makes you think.

Kapadia has said he wanted to “test” himself by documenting “somebody who is still around”. Kapadia has passed his own test.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in