I
n this rambling though passionate monologue, Maradona (with the help of two ghostwriters) takes readers from his impoverished youth in Buenos Aires to the heights of celebrity as the greatest player in the history of the world’s most popular sport. An unlikely superstar, the short (5’5”) and rather chunky Maradona regularly performed impossible feats on the soccer pitch, yet his career was shadowed by criminal allegations and florid drug abuse. Even a casual soccer fan could describe the numerous highs and lows of Maradona’s career, including the “Hand of God” against England, the 1986 World Cup victory, firing an air-gun into a crowd of reporters, a failed drug test at the ’94 Cup and a massive heart attack (probably drug related) in 2004. Although quite open about his drug use and philandering, Maradona admits to little wrong and spends most of his energy detailing his exploits on the field and railing against the owners and bureaucrats who control the sport. While Maradona’s pungent mode of expression and outspoken politics—he loves Castro and sports a Che Guevara tattoo—have undeniable charm, the book will be tough going for general readers lacking background in international soccer. 32 color and b&w photos. (June)
