Diego Maradona match career reports (1976-1997)

Friendly

07/05/1978 Argentina 2-1 Liga Correntina

Maradona entered in the 69th minute and played with the jersey number 16.

In the link below this game was addressed:

“In a monotonous match as training that, finally, Argentina won by two to one, with goals from Alonso and Bertoni, and Taboada for the locals. After the meeting Menotti admitted: "These confrontations are not of much use to us, because they were played on a bad pitch and without demands." The next game will be in Bahía Blanca and the next in Córdoba. But more useful will be the games between us, "behind closed doors", because the entire squad has the necessary rhythm to play games with more movement.”

https://www.corrienteshoy.com/info-...ue-corrientes-abrazo-al-campeon-del-mundo.htm

 

Friendly

13/05/1978 Argentina 7-0 Liga del Sur

Played in Bahia Blanca, Buenos Aires

Maradona entered in the 67th minute with the jersey number 16.

In the link below there’s a brief video of him entering the pitch.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.la...radona-relacionadas-con-bahia-y-la-region/amp

This was the last game of him before he was excluded in the 22-man roster for the World Cup.

http://www.rsssf.com/tablesa/arg-unoff-intres-det.html#1978

 

Around that period Menotti had chosen his number 10 (jersey and playmaker) players in order and appeared to have Maradona as the third option in his 22 man roster for the World Cup. However, once the list was finalized, Alonso was chosen instead. It was a big disappointment for Maradona, one which he would never forgive Menotti.

 

Metropolitan Championship 1978

Round 15

21/05/1978 Argentinos Juniors 5-0 Chacarita

Stadium: La Paternal, Argentinos Juniors

Field condition: Poor

So Maradona made his comeback to his club after the long but disappointing news that he was dropped from the final NT roster. His frustration was let out on poor Chacarita, one of the bottom table teams. It was one of his finest ever performances in the league, but small consolation for him personally.

There was some conflicting information regarding if he had scored 3 or 2 goals in this match. Many sources had it as 3, like La Nación, Goles, La Opinión Deportiva, but others like El Gráfico had it at 2 goals.

An investigation apparently was made not so long ago, addressed in this website:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.di...ion-le-resta-un-gol-maradona-el-bicho-n189540

The link concluded that Diego may have been the shooter but the finisher was his teammate Favret.

However, I have read the source of Goles and how they described each goal in detail and according to them Maradona was the scorer of all 3 goals in the following way:

The three Golazos of Maradona

First goal
“The first one was an excellent combination in team, Favret sent in a cross from the left; the ball arrived to Maradona, who beat defender Pena. He entered the box frontally. And he shot with precision after Vivalda had come out to close the angle.”

2nd goal
“Diego did it on his own. Feint and gambeta (crossover) to defender Landolfi to the right. He then cracked defender Pena to separate himself. He stopped on a dime almost on the touchline. A look as if insinuating to make a cross, and when goalkeeper Vivalda came out of his goal expecting that cross, Maradona sent it home in an “illogical” chip.”

3rd goal
“The third one — directly — was to put it into a frame. Zarza gave it to Maradona on the left. Maradona started to wiggle his way inside with gambetas (crossovers). Defenders Pena and Astudillo were left for dead. Goalkeeper Vivalda lost coming out to close the angle and was brushed aside. Defender Carballo attempted to close the gap in goal, but the precise breaks that Maradona put on by stopping on a dime made him pass by. With indifference, almost, he tucked it into the back of the net...”

This last goal may have some similarity to this goal Diego scored in 1980 for Argentinos in Colombia but the final touch vs Chacarita had the defender pass by....



In any event, for the fans of Diego’s solo runs and goals, this one vs Chacarita was viewed as a piece of art and belongs in his catalogue of great “Maradoniano” individual exhibitions.

Goles
“For both Argentinos and Chacarita the balance would have been equal had it not been for the rebel and joyfulness that was sketched by the figure of Maradona, because in his mind it was conceived what separated the difference of the two, leaving far behind any analysis of a comparison that can be made. The game entered into dimension when he had contact with the ball: creating chances, scoring 3 really sensational goals and delighting with two or three luxurious plays of high calibre. Chacarita did not exist: it was the total denial”

El Gráfico
“From the beginning the home team was superior. Maradona and Fren comfortably dominated the middle of the pitch by providing the quick entrance to the advances of Lopez and Favret which created serious problems in the rival’s defense (...) Chacarita, disorganized, irresolute and without attack, provided nothing to the spectacle. Then Maradona grew even more as the axis to Argentinos attacks. His skill, creativity and opportunism filled the whole field. He converted two golazos and created two others. Chacarita continued “absent” from the game”

La Nación also praised his performance. After this game Diego said the performance had not been a rematch for Menotti not selecting him. He respected his opinion but did not agree with it. He felt he should have been in the final roster. There was also lots of consternation from fans and the president of Argentinos Juniors, who could not understand how Maradona had not made the final team for the World Cup.

Both El Gráfico and Goles rated Maradona with the perfect grade of a 10 as spectacular and man of the match.

Summary: 3 goals, 1 assist

 

It remains an enigma because sources are divided but the general feeling was that he scored 3 goals. However, no source explained the 3 goals better than the magazine of Goles. Inclusively, there is a meeting between Omar Sivori and Diego after the match where Sivori attempts to console Maradona for not making the final roster of the NT, and in that conversation Sivori mentioned the 3 goals vs Characita. I will see to post it...

 

So I won’t address all points but Omar Sivori met Maradona after the last league game and said that he had him in mind since 1975 when Diego was in the lower divisions. He viewed him then and was impressed with his game and character.

In certain ways, Sivori was the Maradona of his day, with a high skill-set, with a bad temper, and both left-footed with similar styles.

In a match between the senior Argentinian NT vs the Italian club of Fiorentina in 1981, Giovanni Agnelli, the Italian industrialist and principal shareholder of Fiat, who generally would witness Juventus in action, stated after witnessing Diego live, that he had seen Sivori return to action !

Oh, btw, Sivori in the article acknowledged Diego’s 3 goals vs Chacarita. Sivori also used to go to the stadium to witness Diego in action... A great admirer of him and before he passed away he stated that Maradona had been the player he enjoyed the most in comparison to other all-time greats.

 

Metropolitan Championship 1978

Round 16

02/07/1978 Rosario Central 0-0 Argentinos Juniors

Stadium: Newell’s Old Boys, Rosario

Field condition: Terrible

La Nación headlined: “Poor technique in Rosario”

“In the initial minutes, Rosario impressed better, Merced to the discrete work of their midfielders, but instances later Argentinos adjusted their defense, and automatically the initiative of the home team started to fade.”

“The visiting side (Argentinos), with a conservative criteria, maintained long stretches defending and their scarce advances consisted of long range passes of Maradona and Premici (...)”

El Gráfico
“Argentinos dedicated their game in defending with order but lacked — despite some isolated attempts from Maradona — audacity to obtain a different result other than a draw (...)”

Maradona received a poor grade of a 5 from El Gráfico, with mostly his entire team’s frontline performing poorly, receiving grades of 4’s.

 

Metropolitan Championship 1978

Round 17

07/07/1978 Argentinos Juniors 1-1 San Lorenzo

Stadium: Atlanta (Argentinos were local)

Field condition: Poor

For the fans interested in trivia of tracking Maradona’s solo goals, another one was on display in this late night game. This time it was converted against Argentina’s NT third choice goalkeeper, La Volpe.

La Nación headlined: “Deserved draw between Argentinos and San Lorenzo”

“Up till the first 20 minutes Argentinos exhibited better solidness of virtue in their lines (...) added to all of that the natural talent of Maradona.”

“In the second half the technical quality continued to drop. San Lorenzo had more share of the ball, but didn’t create goal chances. After 25 minutes Maradona returned — perhaps excessively kicked by his opponents — and turned up his game again and in the 34th minute obtained a beautiful goal, fruit of his individuality, after eluding successfully defenders Collavini, Gette and Ruiz.”

El Gráfico
“Mediocre match — In the first 20 minutes Argentinos managed the game better with the job of their midfielders. San Lorenzo couldn’t find the ball and had to resort permanently to fouls (Collavini and Fischer were cautioned) to stop Maradona. Then, and although with a disorganized attack, San Lorenzo created some dangerous chances. When Maradona took on the role of a forward at the final stages of the match, the home team took the lead. His beautiful goal arrived (he beat 4 defenders and once he was inside the box he struck a shot that hit both posts before entering) and everything seemed settled. However, Rizzi took advantage of a defensive error in the red team and with a header leveled. Argentinos, because of the talent and skill of Maradona, was much closer to victory.”

Maradona received an excellent grade of a 9 from El Gráfico and was man of the match, despite his team’s frontline failing to make a solid impression, all rated lowly with 5’s.

Summary: 1 goal



Although some images of this match exist, the goals are absent.

 

Typical state of training at Argentinos Juniors, with poor pitches and poor equipment.

 

Metropolitan Championship 1978

Round 18

16/07/1978 All Boys 1-1 Argentinos Juniors

Stadium: All Boys

Field condition: very poor

A good match between these local rivals, in their traditional derby of the neighborhood. All Boys had the better of chances to win but a top class performance from Argentinos goalkeeper, Munutti, kept the visiting side alive. Offensively only Maradona was up to the task for Argentinos.

El Gráfico wrote, “Munutti was responsible for the draw. Argentinos, grounded on the work of Maradona, at moments balanced the game out and could have scored more. The defender Pintos saved several balls on the line — one after a sensational solo run from Maradona — and goalkeeper Spilinga with three great saves avoided defeat”

La Nación
“The lentitude, the imprecise passes and a constant fight in the midfield, was the primary characteristic of the game.”

“Maradona was the axis of every outlet move, he moved forward some meters and gave Argentinos the strength it needed. In a good maneuver he set up Castro to level the game.”

Maradona played a very good match, received an 8 from El Gráfico, but once again his team’s frontline failed to step up, with some very poor performances from Premici and Favret, rated with grades of 3 and 4 respectively. The only other bright spot for Argentinos was goalkeeper Munutti, man of the match.

Summary: 1 assist

 

Metropolitan Championship 1978

Round 19

23/07/1978 Argentinos Juniors 5-2 Unión (Santa Fe)

Stadium: La Paternal, Argentinos Juniors

Field condition: Poor

La Nación headlined: “Argentinos: skill, forcefulness and goals”

“Right from the start the skill of Maradona started to shine in two consecutive plays that Premici and Ovelar failed to finish (...)” But quickly afterwards the goals started to pour in with Premici redeeming himself and Favret adding to the party. Fren had a good game and Maradona was the star that spearheaded all attacks. He left the pitch after 82 minutes and received a standing ovation from the home fans.

For Union, goalkeeper Pumpido, who had a good game till then saving a PK from Ovelar, was sent off in the second half after protesting a foul committed inside the box on Maradona, which was then converted from the spot by Ovelar, which finished off any opposition from the visiting side.

El Gráfico
“Very good match — It was enough for Maradona to showcase his great qualities, with the aid of Fren, Favret and Ovelart, to turn all in favor of the home team.”

Maradona played an outstanding game with the excellent grade of a 9 from El Gráfico and was the man of the match, but this time had received good support from his frontline.

After the contest, Maradona entered a controversial dispute with the Argentinian FA because his name was included in a list of 40 youth players that were non-transferrable to play abroad for any other club. He vowed to not play anymore, citing that the FA had blocked his transfer to go play in England for Sheffield United, for the sum of 900.000 dollars, which he would receive 300.000. (More on this later).

 

So around that time (July 1978) Maradona had been associated with a transfer to England, where various Argentinian players had been shipped after WC78. Diego was excited to go play abroad and financially it would secure his future and his family. Sheffield United was the team willing to obtain his services, but according to his club the Argentinian FA blocked his transfer. However, El Grafico stated that Argentinos Juniors did not want to sell Maradona for the 900.000 dollars that was offered; the club wanted more. Sheffield United could not go ahead with their intentions and instead signed another Argentinian player. Maradona was furious and vowed not to play again... But further talks would be made to accommodate his demands. In any event, Sheffield United missed out on Maradona in 1978 when Diego was still 17 years old.

Some newer versions of the story in these links:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.th...radona-almost-signed-for-sheffield-united.amp

The possibility of Sheffield not falling into relegation had Diego arrived:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.ex...eld-united-diego-maradona-napoli-17988199.amp

 

Metropolitan Championship 1978

Round 20

30/07/1978 Gimnasia y Esgrima (LP) 1-0 Argentinos Juniors

Stadium: Gimnasia y Esgrima (LP)

Field condition: regular

La Nación headlined: “Just victory for Gimnasia”

“Deserved win for Gimnasia that, without shining, had to work hard to stamp their authority on the field. Although it is true, they lacked clarity, but were able to contain an opponent that in the beginning had been better.”

El Gráfico
“The game was played with the good intention of circulating the ball around and giving creative depth in the middle of the pitch. There the fight was balanced, played at a good level, with Della Savia and Maradona being shadowed by Verón and Fren respectively. In spite of the field being muddy the game was played fluidly with frequent chances created. Gimnasia justified their win in the last half hour, where they capitalized on the ball possession and control of the pitch. Besides, they counted on the astuteness of Della Savia, who headed down excellently so that Solari could beat Munutti when the game appeared it would end at zero apiece.”

El Gráfico rated the official with a poor job, sending off an AJ player in the 81st minute. The home team scored right after.

Diego received a correct grade of a 6 for his performance from El Gráfico.

 

For round 21 Maradona did not play and AJ lost 4-2 against Racing. The match was played at the Ferro Carril Oeste stadium, where AJ were considered local. It was played under the rain and the pitch was in terrible condition.

Maradona was not the primary PK taker at the club. His authority on spot kicks started once he moved to Boca Juniors and abroad around 1981.