World Cup 2010 - Maradona: Hardest day of my life
A broken Diego Maradona, his demeanour far removed from the exuberance of his previous World Cup news conferences, said Argentina's 4-0 thrashing by Germany on Saturday was the hardest day of his life.
"Today, close to the 50 years old I will be on October 30, this is the hardest thing I've experienced," Maradona said.
"This was (like) a punch from Muhammad Ali. I have no strength for anything.
"The day I quit playing football could (have been) similar but this is much harder," Maradona said after Argentina's worst defeat at the finals since a 6-1 rout by Czechoslovakia in 1958.
Maradona said he could not talk so soon about the future after his team again failed to reach the last four. They have not done so since 1990, the year he relinquished the World Cup in the final in Italy having lifted it four years earlier as captain.
"I'll have to think carefully about (the future)... I must speak to my family, the players, there's a lot (to discuss)," Maradona said.
With a hint that the future was uncertain, he said: "This wasn't the expected finale (for us), but whoever comes in must carry on this path which is the one Argentines like.
"I thanked (the players and coaching staff) for the job they did, that's all. I didn't speak about the future," Maradona said, having emerged from a gloomy changing room.
He said he had no doubts that his team had played as they should have, despite often being given the run-around by a far sharper and quicker German side.
"I could go tomorrow, but I want these kids to go on showing the real Argentine football," he said.
"I have realised as coach and player that the football the (Argentine) people like is this, searching permanently (for goals), playing, rotating. I don't think Argentina have another style.
"With the lead, Germany began to get ideas that they had not had previously in this World Cup," Maradona said.
"This doesn't knock my pride in my players because I know the result is not a reflection of what happened on the pitch. They put in their chances, we also had some."
Maradona defended World Player of the Year Lionel Messi, who was brilliant in flashes throughout the finals but failed to stamp his authority on the tournament or even find the net.
"(Messi) had a great World Cup ... (he didn't score) because the ball lifted or goalkeepers were their teams' stars.
"To see Messi weeping in the changing room, anyone who says to me he has no feelings for the (Argentina) shirt is stupid."
Germany ended Argentina's run of 10 matches unbeaten at the World Cup dating back to their 1-0 loss to England in Japan in 2002 and including the 1-1 draw with Germany in the 2006 quarter-final which they lost on penalties.
Maradona, who took charge in late 2008, has won 18 and lost six of his matches as coach though the majority of the defeats came in a disappointing qualifying campaign last year.
Comment 20 - 39 of 39
Maradona is certainly the best player of the history of football. It is good to know, he was a poor boy in a underdevelopment country, but he became a genius player. He made us feel interested anout footbsll. He did not cheat any time in playing but against U.K. . It was for his patriotism not to cheat. He made his people feel joyful. A big work that the government and his army could not. Unfortunately he is not the best coach. A good coach must be deceiveful, calm and tricky. He is opposite. He alwayas lead the team in a fixed way. M y boys : Play beautiful and be sincere. He is a genius and we can not understand him. We hate him for his behaviour, but se all are human. He likes play football with six forwards, by the most attacking power. This a dreamy system. It consumes a great energy. He run this map in 1994 brilliantly. But we have not power to run this. Nowadays football is the match of physical power and group assistance. We must accept that football is not anymore a beautiful or intelligent work. It is force, power and back force. One drawback of maradona is his simplicity in his map. All coaches know soon his programs, maps and their faults and he never changes his system and program. I wish he continue with his team. Then we watch a little more beautifull classic football than ugly new mechanic in other team. Argentin and its people and even their history is debt
I personally feel the same as Diego Maradona. I'm a full supporter of Argentina football team and a dedicated fan of Diego Maradona since the days when the Diego Maradona's talented play as a football player that made him the greatest footballer the world has ever produced after Pele. He had helped Argentina to be the World Champion in 1986 and also helped his club Napoli to a number of European titles.
Maradona has to be given the chance to lift the World Cup trophy again as coach in 2014 when Brazil is the host. I'm very sure Diego Maradona will succeed as a Champion coach by helping Argentina to become the World football Champion in 2014. His dream will become reality.
A loss to Germany is not the end of the day. The Germans are very fast in counter-attacking. Their goals were easy because their had all the lucks just like the Uruguay had all the lucks when playing against the unlucky Ghana. In the game against Germany, Argentina had several on-target shoots which were all saved by the German goal keeper and the Argentine just couldn't find the net.
Maradona, please relax and don't think too much. It's not your fault. Recharge and do it again, I'm sure you will succeed again in the national Argentine squad.
Maradona was so arrogant while he was winning,,, cocky,,, making fun of players, including the 20 year old from Germany, that he called a ball boy... I was glad he stuck one by them in the first 2:00 min of the game, now who looks cocky ? Not Diego !! Go snort more of that white stuff !! and get yourself caught in a bed with another guy too,, just like when you were playing in Italy
He's going back to the crime syndicate! Controlling the streets of Buenos Aires
Hey RICHARD! Where's England?
You must be useless if you can't qualify from a group including Ecuador,Bolivia,Peru...anyone left?
Have some cocaine you useless tos ser.
Hi MR Diego Maradona I hope you can read this Dont make any heasty deccions. Germany/Deutschland is a very good side and are very hard to beat. They came 3rd place 4 years ago but this time I think they will win the cup. mr Maradona if you can read this I am the same age as ya(you) I was born the 17/05/60/ 17 may 1960 I am A bit older then you as I am A woman I do fancy you But dont tell your wife please. I want to send you good luck and I hope you will stay with Argentina. I hope one day we can meet some wear. I came close to it 4years back but went with the croud I was wacthing on the big screen's Mexico Argentina I was wanting Mexico to win same as last week. But both times you win. And when you was going throu A bad patch you pulled throu. I was prying for you back then and sending you healing as I am A spritulist. Dou't know if you flet any thinking? I love you Mr maradona from wandrea60 good luck god bles take care love to hear from ya soon lots of love xxxxxxx wandrea60.
@31..Correction, the Germans always played like robots in previous world cup tournaments...not this squad..this side is faster, more agile and younger (which is scary)...and they seem like their having fun...something i have not seen in previous tournaments from the germans..
"It is this very thinking and practice that keeps corrupt catholic countries on their knees" a phrase from Adrian in comment 23. Boy whzt r u saying, how did you make the induction that a man scoring with his hand in a world cup make his whole country (40 millions by the way) crooks and cheaters and by way of extention, their catholicism coupled with their cheating nature, eternally on their knees. does anglicanism elevate to the skies? if it was, all of us will convert. The english always manage to talk about themselves when analyzing other games, saying at least we scored, oh look ghana went further than us and all that. There is only one truth, england is not a heavyweight in the history of WC, and this year england was very poor and they won in 1966 because of a referee mistake. It is a win anyway, but remember, it is like urugay in 1930, an one off thing, it will surely never happen again and in people's minds, the WC is either italian, german, brazilian or argentinian never english. all this talk about maradona: fat, greasy, drug addict, Maradonna may not be a great coach but please when u talk about his 'god's hand' remember that in the same game, he humuliated a whole team for 50 meters, truly magnificient, and you will not be able to produce that for millions years. and by the way, you english seem to find rivalries everywhere, against the germans, the argentinians, the french... it is probaly your way of thinking you are their equal. Good luck at the olympics
"Hand of God" just got slapped.
´The simple reason that Germany are so good and doing so well is that they are Playing as a team,because thats what Football is, It's a team game.Just guess the rest havent yet grasped that!
The Germans as always play like a bunch of ROBOTS. Its easy to beat the Germans if you really want to but the Argentines were more into playing the beautiful game. First of all the Germans do not deserve to be in the competition, they should be compressed into a silicon chip and used for computer games. That's where exactly they belong! For those of you who got plenty of negative feel towards Maradonna and the Argies, ask yourself if your country has produced any player who compares to MARADONNA and MESSI. If you are really into football, then you know what I am alking about.
Dany K you're one big dumbarse.
Football doesnt need the likes of maradonna it just needs players like the germans with skill speed and determination. They destroyed argentina and made them look like what they were a 2nd rate team the same as england.
At least now the cheating tw*t has got the "Finger of God"
In comparison, some English people would say "atleast we scored a goal', but to be fair, Germany are a class above, not so in technique but in team-work. That is something that nearly all the Argentine teams I've watched through the last 26 years have never truly had. Maradona clearly lifted his team at the start of the second half. They came out stronger, but look clearly at the screens. Germany chose near enough route one each time, collect the ball, and few passes and go for goal. Argentina on the other hand, relied on certain pleayers to do tricks and try to take the German defence apart with pace and solo enthusiasm. It jsut doesn't work in todays game to be a soloist. For one, Germany is at the top of its game, young players, good coach and solid team ethic. I think every team, especially England who struggle from selfish, self, self, self players need to watch and learn from..
Madarona is a symbol of where inconsistency is not important and he tries to help out his impoverished team the best he can he has a lot to learn from the Germans Die go.
As for Maradona, well, he is who he is. His dalliances with drugs and all in my opinion should preclude him from even being on this world stage, despite his unbelievable skill as a former player. Having said that I have no respect for any individual who quite blatantly cheats and then absolves himself from all responsibility by bringing God into the equation... Hand of God? Yeah right!
It is this very thinking and practice that keeps corrupt catholic countries on their knees... people in power undertaking abhorrent behaviour only to be 'forgiven' each sunday, just in time to go and repeat the same behaviours in the coming week.
I enjoyed the play that the Argentinians brought to the world cup but for the sake of all that is good and holy, people like Maradona who flagrantly and blatantly exude such poor behaviour whilst 'embracing' deity do not deserve to win. Personally I am glad to see him go out of this world cup and at the end of the day Germany were so, so much more coherent and entertaining. It's a shame that Messi didnt manage to get at least one goal though.
This world cup has by and large been way less than entertaining.
People lambast Messi, Ronaldo, Rooney and Kaka for having played poorly. If two of them had played so far below par, that would be understandable. Three? Maybe explainable, but all four of the world's reportedly best players had lacklustre performances.
I blame the ball. If you have players who's skills are so finely honed, then the change of a ball has way more impact on them then others and detrimental effects will be magnified in fact and performance, thereafter being magnified further by media commentary and match commentator focus.
The ball is @#$%. Goalkeepers cannot predict where the heck it is going to go and rarely catch the ball save for crosses. Shots on goal are regularly parried away and all too often the hands are extended to catch and the ball flight ends up being somewhere else... hitting them in the chest, the knees, et al.
The ball isn't predictable at all and so if the ball is the instrument, coupled with countless hours of practice and skilfully being 'as one' with the ball, this level of prowess cannot be immediately replicated with a new ball.
Roger Federer may not win so often if the tennis ball was given a thickened skin yet the material was changed to keep it in regulation size and weight. The ball dynamics in the air will be different and the bounce will be different. Surely his prowess would be affected.
FIFA have made a colossal error in changing the ball and I suppose it may be argued that in different leagues around the world, different balls are used (albeit conforming to some basic criteria for standardisation). Nonetheless the balls being used ARE different, the panels are different for ball construction, and thus ball flight is different. FIFA should approve the use of ONE ball. If Nike Adidas et al want to brand it from league to league then so be it, but the ball can only be one ball. This way the playing field is levelled.
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