They said it: Maradona

السبت، 24 نوفمبر 2012

They said it: Maradona

“Scorpio is intense. It has an emotional energy that is unique in the Zodiac. If you use it constructively, it can help you become a great leader. It doesn’t bite its tongue and it can be very critical.”

Diego Maradona’s description of the star sign is one that could just as easily be applied to him. The Argentinian legend, who turns 50 later this year, possesses all those characteristics and more. Considered by many to be the greatest footballer that ever walked the Earth, he is now preparing for the most searching examination of his eventful tenure as coach of Argentina: the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™.

Aside from his playing skills and status as a footballing idol, Maradona is also famed for his way with words. Sometimes blunt, sometimes irascible, but never dull, Maradona has made many an unforgettable appearance in front of the microphones, sometimes leaving his audience open-mouthed, just as he once did on the field of play.

FIFA.com rounds up a selection of El Pelusa’s most outspoken and revealing observations on life and football.

“My first dream is to play in the World Cup, and my second is to win it.”
A 12-year-old Maradona, appearing on camera for the first time, on his footballing ambitions

“Yes, I am a ‘blackhead’ and proud of it. I'll never forget where I came from.”
Maradona on his roots, employing a derogatory term (cabecita negra) used in Argentina to refer to people from poor backgrounds

“You are never in control with drugs, they control you. Anyone who says, ‘I can handle them’ is either lying or deluding themselves.”
Maradona on his drug addiction, prior to entering a rehabilitation programme

“I’ve packed 70 years into my 40. I’ve seen it all. I went from a dirt track in Villa Fiorito to the top of the world. When I got there, I had to figure out for myself what to do. Nobody ever told me what it would be like or how to handle it.”
Maradona on the trials of fame

“I was and always will be happy with my Hand of God goal against the English. I offer them a thousand apologies – that’s the truth - but I’d do it again a thousand times.”
Maradona on his opening goal against England in the quarter-finals at Mexico 1986

“I tried to find happiness playing football, and through it I tried to bring happiness to others. Football is the most beautiful game in the world. Yes, I made mistakes and I paid the price, but you can never tarnish football.”Maradona opens up to the fans at a game held in his honour in November 2001

“I haven’t seen him lately. I tried to call him but it’s easier talking to Obama than Lio. I’ve heard he's having a good pre-season and that’s great to know.”
Maradona on Messi, in the build-up to the South Africa 2010 qualifier against Brazil

“The worst has already happened. I was at the bottom of the sea and my daughters pulled me out. I can get up every day now, which is an achievement when you consider that I used to go three whole days either awake or asleep. Seeing my grandson is like touching the sky. Everything else pales in comparison.”
Maradona on what life means to him now, in an interview with FIFA.com

“When we won the World Cup in Mexico I hardly let go of the Trophy. You ask me if I’ll be holding on to it if we win in South Africa? No. Masche (Javier Mascherano) will have that honour. And he won’t want to let go either. Mark my words. He’ll be doing the same thing.”
Maradona on how it feels to hold the FIFA World Cup Trophy

“Winning the World Cup is the most beautiful thing there is. I tell the players that 30 days of sacrifice just to kiss that cup is nothing in a man’s life. It’s like touching the sky.”Maradona on his obsession with winning the FIFA World Cup

“I’m not going to die over that, I’ll sleep just as well if Butcher doesn’t shake my hand. I would remind everyone that England beat Germany in a Final with a goal that didn’t go over the line. We all saw it and no one said anything. But the thing is there weren’t any TV replays then. Butcher is in no position to judge me.”
Maradona responds to Terry Butcher, the former England international and ex-Scotland assistant coach (still angered at the Hand of God goal, Butcher said he would not be shaking El Diez’s hand before the Scots’ friendly with Argentina at Hampden Park in November 2008, Maradona’s first game in charge)

“I’d like to dedicate our qualification to the people of Argentina with all my heart, but only to them, to the people who believed in me. There are some people who don’t deserve it, and they know who they are. I don’t forget things, and I’ve got one thing to say to the people who didn’t believe in this team, who treated me like a piece of rubbish: Today we are in the World Cup finals.”
Maradona rounds on his critics at the controversial press conference that followed his side’s 1-0 victory in Uruguay, a result that secured their place in South Africa.

fifa.com

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Falcao: We want to make our own history

Radamel Falcao Garcia is, without doubt, one of football’s hottest properties right now. A relentless goalscorer for Atletico Madrid, who have built on last season’s success and are currently flying high in La Liga, he is also a leading light for a Colombia team that is fighting for a place at the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™.

Named in the 23-man shortlist for this year’s FIFA Ballon d’Or and author of one of the ten goals shortlisted for the FIFA Puskás Award, the man known as El Tigre (The Tiger) found time for an exclusive chat with FIFA.com. Among the items discussed were Colombia’s fine recent form, Jose Pekerman’s role in the side’s resurgence, recent comparisons between the current Cafetero crop and the golden generation of the 1990s, and his targets with Atletico.

FIFA.com: Falcao, Jose Pekerman told a press conference recently that Colombia would now qualify for the FIFA World Cup after missing out on the three previous editions. Would you go along with that?
Radamel Falcao Garcia: The World Cup is the goal we’re working towards. There’s still a long way to go in the South American qualifiers, but we realise we’re in a strong position. We’ll keep striving towards our target of competing in this great competition and hope to continue in the same vein for the remainer of the qualifying campaign.

How do you explain the fact that you’ve won more games on your travels than at home in these qualifiers?
It shows we’ve matured and grown as a team, both home and away, something that’s enabled us to remain strong on the road and win key games. That’s always a good thing and hopefully we can continue to do that.

Playing at a World Cup with my national team is my principle objective, although the goal is not only to qualify and take part, but also to play a prominent part once there.

Falcao

The last time Colombia graced a FIFA World Cup was at France 1998, when you had players like Carlos Valderrama, Freddy Rincon and Faustino Asprilla. Is the current generation comparable with that one?
We’re not looking to be compared with them. We want to make our own history and pave our own way, and do it with a different style of play. Hopefully we can go far without seeking to compare ourselves to the Colombian teams that have come before us.

At France 1998 you were just 12. What you do remember about that tournament?
I remember a great deal as I watched almost the entire thing. Colombia didn’t do well in the group phase and went out. Later we had [Zinedine] Zidane’s crowning achievement, but it was also a World Cup in which Ronaldo and [Gabriel] Batistuta scored a lot of goals. So yeah, I remember it well.

Brazil coach Mano Menezes said recently that Colombia “were more than just Falcao” and praised the work done by Jose Pekerman since assuming the reins. Was the arrival of the Argentinian the tipping point for Colombia or have other factors contributed to the team’s improvement in the race to Brazil?
Without a doubt, Pekerman’s arrival turned things round for Colombia in terms of the team’s football, results and self-confidence. He tried to give us the necessary belief to go out there with freedom and play the kind of football that we’re used to. That means always trying to compete toe-to-toe whether home or away and seeking to win, but without throwing caution to the wind. Today we’ve become a more mature and balanced team in South America.

Is getting the chance to compete at a FIFA World Cup your prime objective right now, and what other goals are you hoping to achieve?
Playing at a World Cup with my national team is my principle objective, although the goal is not only to qualify and take part, but also to play a prominent part once there. I believe we have a good team, and hopefully we’ll grow and improve a great deal both individually and as a group so that we first of all qualify then afterwards feature prominently in Brazil.

Will this FIFA World Cup be different with it being staged in Brazil?
Yes, of course. We’ll be closer to home and it’s Latin America, whose people share a certain affinity. So if we made it there, we’d enjoy a degree of support from the hosts.

Before then might we see another triumph for Atletico Madrid in La Liga?
There’s a long way to go, but we want to keep battling game by game and then we’ll see where we are come the end of the season. The most important thing is to keep winning games, so we keep racking up the points.

Finally, we must mention the remarkable technical progress you’ve made over the last year. When you started out you were known for powerful heading, but you now seem to have really worked on your left foot, as evidenced by almost identical goals against Chelsea, Athletic Bilbao, Valencia and Paraguay. Is that something you’ve been particularly focused on?
Yes, I have worked on it. When I have the chance to work on my own game in training, I try to fine-tune technical aspects of it. In this case I’ve tried to improve my left-foot shot a bit, and have seen results. What’s more, most the goals I’ve scored this season have been with my left. There’ve been some beautiful and really well-taken ones to tell you the truth. It’s always good to work on improving yourself every way you can.

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السبت، 24 نوفمبر 2012