Jul

2010

9:50am, EDT

Alfredo Tedeschi / Reuters - Corbis file

Argentine soccer star Diego Maradona smokes a Cohiba cigar as he rides a sail boat in waters off Havana on April 8, 2000. Maradona had been in Cuba since January on a rehabilitation program to try to kick the cocaine habit that almost cost him his life at the beginning of the year.

From the archive: At 5'5", Maradona is still larger than life

As Argentina prepares to play Germany, I'm wondering what emotional pyrotechnics may be in store from Argentine soccer coach Diego Maradona. He's always been a character, and he's been true to form in South Africa: His emotional leadership has been an exciting part of the 2010 World Cup.

For many football fans, the moment that comes to mind when Maradona's name comes up is his 1986 "Hand of God" goal against England, described and shown in detail here. I'm far more prone to think of the picture above, which does a great job of encapsulating some of the challenges Maradona has faced off of the pitch, and of the gamewinning 'Goal of the Century' from the same 1986 World Cup match against England, a video clip that sends chills up my spine every time I see it, even if I watch it ten times in quick succession:

SBPhrog

Pele, Maradona and Zidane.

Annie Leibovitz recently did a photo shoot with three of the greats of Soccer: Pele, Maradona and Zidane. I know little of the game, and less of it's greats...but I do know great moves when I see one, and surely this "Goal of the Century" is one of them. A local theater in SB, The Arlington, opened it's doors for free to televise in HD this World Cup 2010 and I had a chance to experience Soccer in all it's glory during the USA vs. Ghana Game.

Life goes on.