Maradona in Barcelona

After having played the World Spain 1982 , with a drop in performance and being subjected to harsh criticism, the history of one of the greatest footballers of all time had been in Spain, where this time had been requested by one of the major European clubs, the FC Barcelona .

His entry into the Blaugrana generated great expectations, especially because I had to cover an important legacy than that of Johann Cruyff , having paid in addition to some 1,200 million pesetas, a figure high enough for the signings of the time.

His official debut on September 4, 1982, brought a goal against Valencia, although the victory did not help (was defeated by 2-1) started a wave of good performances, which were cut by a very bad news: Hepatitis was diagnosed, so you should leave the pitch for three months.

This was strongly felt by the Blaugrana as not only lost 14 league games but were eliminated from the Cup Winners Cup, a factor that added to the various discussions I had with Udo Lattek (then coach culé) led to the appointment of Cesar Luis Menotti , ex-coach of the Argentina, to join the bench.

His return to the courts was the March 12, 1983, against Betis, with a significant recovery team, but did it fall to fourth place in Spanish league , six points behind champion Athletic Bilbao, but it was enough for the club became champions of the Copa del Rey 1983, besides having also enshrined in the League Cup 1983, nothing more and nothing less than Real Madrid, being applauded around the stadium after scoring this exciting goal :

The 1983/84 season marked a dark spot in the career of Diego Maradona, as in the fourth round of the League received a criminal entry Andoni Goikoetxea, Athletic Bilbao player, which earned him an exclusion from the tournament for three months middle, having to undergo surgery for a lateral malleolus fracture and ligament in his left ankle.

It was precisely this ankle, and his suspicious recovery (diagnosed six months, returned to play in three and half months), which later earned him many performance problems, besides having to repeatedly penetrate.

Although it failed to gain League Trophy, able to contribute to finally be finalists Cup, played at the Santiago Bernabeu on May 5, 1984, which saw a game with enough friction, insults, excessive rivalry and even hard cross between Maradona and Goikoetxea.

The meeting was Athletic Bilbao just 1 goal lead, but what I really remember about that meeting is the final image, with the referee whistling and kicking off a real battle, before the astonished eyes of the spectators.

After the meeting, Maradona was banned for three months of ineligibility for Spanish competitions, which earned him not only a sense of injustice, but also a strong fight with Jose Luis Nunez, president of FC Barcelona, which added to the endless nights out and a troubled private life finally convinced the transfer of Diego Maradona at Napoli in Italy.

Diego Maradona statistics for FC Barcelona

• Spanish League 1982/83 Season: 20 games, 11 goals
• Copa del Rey 1982/83: Played 5 Games, 3 Goals
• 1982/83 European Cup Winners Cup: 4 games played, 5 Goals
• 1982/83 League Cup: 6 games played, 4 Goals
• Spanish League 1983/84 Season: 16 games played, 11 goals
• Copa del Rey 1983/84: 4 Games Played, 1 Goal
• 1983/84 European Cup: 3 games played, 3 Goals

This has been the legacy of Diego Armando Maradona on the Blaugrana, where despite not having lifted a trophy of the season, was a major participant in the so-called "Barcelona Copero" that conquered Europe on the basis of goals and good football as we delight below: