Diego Maradona (2019)

Diego Maradona (2019) is a powerful, intimate documentary built from over 500 hours of never-before-seen archival footage that chronicles the life and career of football legend Diego Armando Maradona, with a particular focus on his years at S.S.C. Napoli in the 1980s. Directed in the observational style familiar from Asif Kapadia’s previous work, the film traces Maradona’s rise from a national hero who led Argentina to World Cup glory to an almost messianic figure in Naples who delivered the club its first Serie A titles — and then his gradual fall amid fame, addiction, and controversy. Watching this documentary you’ll feel immersed in the period: pitch-side euphoria, the roar of adoring crowds, the intimacy of locker-room and private footage, and the mounting pressure that accompanies superstardom. The film forgoes heavy external narration, letting archival clips, TV broadcasts and interviews tell the story; the result is raw and kinetic — moments of ecstatic triumph sit beside chaotic, often painful scenes of excess and conflict. You’ll come away with a vivid sense of who Maradona was to his supporters and how the culture, politics and media of the time shaped both his legend and his downfall. Viewer note: the film contains material touching on drug use, strong language and intense personal episodes, and it assumes some familiarity with football’s cultural stakes, though its emotional and human portrait is accessible to general audiences.

Actors: Pelé, Diego Maradona, Dalma Maradona

Director: Asif Kapadia

Runtime: 130 min

Genres: Biography, Documentary, Sport

7.0 /10 78 /100 7.7 /10 7.5 /10