Diego Maradona is a name that carries great gravitas wherever it goes in the world, but it’s even more difficult when you’re the son of the Argentine superstar.
Named after his famous father, who ranked at no.3 in FourFourTwo’s list of the greatest players of all time, Diego Maradona Jr. spent a large amount of his time as a young player in the Napoli academy as well as appearing for Italy at U17 level.
However, he was unable to reach the heights of Serie A during his career, with Serie D the highest level he achieved in 11-aside football. For Maradona Jr., his name certainly posed a problem as people held greater expectations.
Diego Maradona Jr. struggled to live up to expectations – but still acheived great success
“My surname was a handicap, no doubt,” he tells FourFourTwo. “Sometimes I was told, ‘If you wanted to avoid all this attention, all you had to do was not play football’. But I wanted to because I loved it!”
Maradona Jr. found great success playing beach soccer, though. He scored in the 2008 World Cup Final for Italy against Brazil, then fittingly helped Napoli to their first ever Serie A title on the sand, just as his old man did on grass.
“I had my share of success too, in my own small way,” Maradona Jr. says. “I made more than 100 appearances for Italy’s beach soccer national team, I played at two World Cups and two European Championships. “It didn’t happen because of my name, or because of my father.
“I’m one of the 10 most prolific Italian beach soccer players ever, and I also played football for Italy at youth level. It’s true, I wasn’t like Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, nor did I get to play in Serie A, but that was partly because of my name.”
Since his dad’s passing, he’s moved into coaching with lower league clubs Napoli United, Pompei and Montecalcio, spending much of this season at fifth-tier Ibarra in Tenerife.
“I love my life as a coach,” he enthuses. “When I played, I thought a manager had to be strict. I’m not like that now. It’s difficult for me to define myself as a coach, but if I had to, I’d say that I’m honest with my boys.
“I hope coaching is my future, but you must be able to reinvent yourself in life. If I have to change path, I will. I don’t know how, but I will. Football has always been my life and I hope it continues to be so. My goal is to grow further.”
Approaching 40, this is a man at peace with himself. “Being Diego Maradona’s son is a source of pride – he made many people happy,” says Diego Jnr. “He was and still is an inspiration. He was a living legend, and in the years I was around him, he taught me a lot.”
