Books

Unlovable Latin genius

Author: Jimmy Burns
Title: Hand of God
Subtitle: The Life of Diego Maradona
Publisher: Bloomsbury, 2002
Price: £7.99.

In a nutshell: A serious biography of the player who won the FIFA 'Player of the Twentieth Century' title by polling three times more votes than Pele. The book covers Maradona's life and career in fantastic detail. The research carried out by the author is meticulous and focuses not only on the player's story but his personal life, his character and the good, bad and sinister influences on his career. We are carried on a rollercoaster of events, starting in the shanty towns of Buenos Aires where our subject is born and has a hard and poverty stricken childhood. This at a time when Argentina was ruled by a military Junta who shamelessly used the World Cup win in 1978 to manipulate the hopes and aspirations of the nation. Maradona in his journey from Argentinos Juniors to Sevilla via Barcelona and Napoli collects a World Cup win of his own, mega stardom with all the trappings, debilitating injuries, girls, illegitimate offspring and a drug habit which even now
threatens to stop his heart at any time without warning. We meet callous and selfish club managers, corrupt officials, reckless and negligent team doctors, manipulative agents and some very dodgy friends, particularly the
Camorra, otherwise known as the Naples mafia. Diego, however, proves to be an ignorant, arrogant and unlovable man who ignores and therefore fosters the greed and exploitation which surround him. He is ultimately responsible for his own downfall characterised by his shameful positive drugs test in the 1994 World Cup in the USA.

Strengths: A stunningly detailed account which doesn't flinch from unpleasant aspects of the man's life and which wonderfully illuminates the shady world surrounding characters like Maradona. The player's opinions and lack of intellect mark him down as limited and all around him take full advantage. The author must have upset quite a few powerful people with this book, as well as Diego himself who is quoted in the sleeve notes. It leaves us dumfounded by the sheer depth of corruption and exploitation which comes to bear when the world identifies a true superstar and the narrative skilfully links this to Maradona's own character and story.

Weaknesses: Not enough football described. There's hardly room for it. There is however a good account of the 'Hand of God' incident itself which warms the heart of any Welsh reader.

General verdict: Superb read which requires and rewards a serious amount of time and concentration. The subject is fascinating throughout and the mix of information and descriptive content is combined to create a picture of a man who was without equal on the pitch but out of his depth in almost every other aspect of his life and who was ruthlessly used by those around him for their own enrichment and glorification. Well recommended.

Tim Lawrence