Return of the King

Diego Maradona’s recovery from well-documented battles with drugs, alcohol and obesity is, to quote Bobby robson’s reaction to The hand of God, "a bloody miracle". everyone haunted by the harrowing images of Maradona’s slack-jawed sneer and grotesque girth before his first heart attack in 2000 would scarcely have believed such a transformation possible, but the Argentinean Football Association (AFA) seems set to take advantage. It intends to offer him a role in the national team’s coaching set-up and england’s world cup nemesis may once again come back to haunt them.  The man voted FiFa’s player of the century, jointly with Pele, is thought to harbour ambitions of one day managing his country and there is mounting pressure on the AFA to recall their prodigal son in some capacity. That would have been unthinkable for most of the past decade, during which Maradona has suffered a succession of serious health scares. Having admitted a twenty year drug habit, which resulted in a fifteen month ban in italy, ejection from the 1994 World Cup and a career-ending scandal on his return to Boca Juniors in argentina in 1997, he developed heart problems, required psychiatric help for his habit and ballooned to around twenty stone.But now, following a successful recovery that included a recent operation to staple his stomach, the 45 year old football idol has slimmed down to such an extent that he has been prancing around on the italian equivalent of strictly come dancing. And his foray into the world of television does not stop there. Maradona is hosting his own chat show in argentina called The Night of the Number Ten and has already interviewed Pele, Robbie Williams and Fidel castro.His only official role in football at present is as Vice-president of Boca Juniors but the AFA is keen to harness Maradona’s unparalleled influence. his role would be to mentor players in the junior national teams, preparing them for full honours, and would not infringe on the work of current manager, Jose pekermen. Julio Grondona, President of the AFA, reiterated his backing for pekermen but said that the current manager had told Maradona: "You are the national team." Maradona has demonstrated his newfound diplomacy by vowing not to tread on anyone’s toes but Grondona clearly shares pekermen’s view: "things go according to plan, Maradona has a future with the national team and i don’t think there’s anyone who deserves it more." asked whether Maradona could manage the national team after the World Cup next year, the President gave his strongest indication yet, saying "he carries on like this, then why not?"One of the abiding themes of his autobiography, el diego, which was written from a cuban hospital bed, is Maradona’s fervent national pride and desire to see a revival in Argentinean football to match his own personal resurgence: "would love it if today’s kids, and tomorrow’s kids, could get this into their heads – there’s a special quality, a mystique, to be an argentinean footballer in the blue and white jersey. we can’t afford to lose that."And surely Argentinean football, and football in general, can’t afford to lose Maradona. The mere presence of a man who won the World Cup in Mexico in 1986 and led his team to the 1990 final in italy should provide extra motivation in Germany next year, but his renewed enthusiasm will also be invaluable. As leader of a new campaign, this time to restore the "mystique" of Argentinean football, Maradona would be in his element and would add another chapter to his remarkable reinvention.ARCHIVE: 6th week MT 2005