Customer Reviews

Hand of God: The Life of Diego Maradona

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Jimmy Burns has written a book that speaks to the trials and tribulations of being the world's best player in the world's most popular sport. The book traces Maradona's history as well as the man's impact on the game and the people for whom and with whom he played. Anyone who has had the chance to see the genius of Maradona on the field must take the opportunity to find out the social, cultural, psychological, physical, and mental context within which he played. Readers will gain greater insight into what it means to be an icon for the entire world.

I really enjoyed this book, it was very insightful in a historical sense as to Maradona's life. I felt it was a little too hard on Maradona. While I don't doubt the excess and lunacy that surrounded Maradona, I feel that he was an unfortunate guniea pig for what global soccer has become. I only wish that more could have been said about Maradona's fantastic play and his human side. Good book overall but temper it with one that paints Maradona in a better light.

People become attached to a player and don't want to admit that it is possible that someone greater must come along. When Pele played the game it was slower and there was nowhere near the sophistication in the defenses that you see today( look at France 98!). If you simply watch film of Pele and then watch film of Maradonna you will see who is the true God of soccer. This book captures the life of the Greatest soccer player the world has yet to see.

This is a fair account of the life of Diego Maradona. To deny his faults would be to akin to building conspiracy theories upon conspiracy theories. Jimmy Burns is a good writer and was a first hand witness to many events. The one problem I had with the book is that there is so little soccer in it. Indeed, this is surprising as I would think that Burns would have realized that those of us who bought it would be especially interesting in hearing the intricate details about his art on the pitch. Spending only half of page 189 and half of page 190 on the 1990 World Cup is unacceptable. We know from the newspapers as to what kind of headcase the guy was, but I wanted to hear more about his play and Maradona's place, in terms of talent, within the patheon of soccer stars.

This was a great book written by Jimmy Burns. It reveals Maradona off the pitch as well as on. If you love Maradona as a footballer maybe you should not read this book. Due to his actions off the field you may look down on him. The book brings you threw his up bringings in a small town, the national team, world cup 86, and life in European Club soccer. I recommend this book for any football fan. I only recomend this book for Diego Armando Maradona fans who will still love him for his skill and magic on the field after they are done with the book.

I have nothing but admiration for Jimmy Burns: the Financial Times correspondent, and his book on the Argentine legend. This book catalogs the journey of the Argentinian, who grew up in the slums around Buenos Aires and catapulted to the very pinnacle of the football world. But then he fell and is yet to rise from the ashes of shame and disrepute. What is certain is this: Maradona was one of the greatest. But his friends and the price of fame brought him down. One is left clutchng straws of disappointment and pain at the end of the book. But at heart he was a street urchin and did not have the grace of the great Brazilian: Pele. Apart from the story of Maradona, one gets a generous glimpse into the flagship of Catalan nationalism: Football Club Barcelona. Also the appeal of Boca Juniors to the economically poor Maradona. Boca es Gardel. Very good book, ranks on par with Crick's biography of George Orwell. footbarca@hotmail.com

Coming from a nation, where fotball is 4th in the lader of national sport, one must not dwell in the politics of his personal life, being a sport fan one must acknowlege his skills, touch, but most important the way he could read the feild and most important the opposition. Formula 1 had Nelson, Tenis had Borg , Basketball had Jordan and fotball had Maradona. And to all those English Man, the hand of God inccident was true Professionalism at that moment, this is what i think went through his mind. If i get booked i'm done,but if i don't i'm a hero. So England for your own Fotball futur , do not dwell in the past, you lost a superior player that ripped the team in half with that magical second goal, that even your keeper could not stop.

As a soccer fanatic and with out knowing all those things that I"m going to find out about Maradona's life in this book.I can still asure you that Maradona was and will be atleast for the next 10 years the best soccer player ever seen.With all the admiration and respect that I have for Pele.the reality indecates that during the golden years of Pele's carier the intensity and speed of the game was much slower than the game in the 80"s and 90's.Also tactically the game is much more difficult know days.Please focus more on Maradona's carier inside the field than on his personal life.

VIVA MEXICO AND THE U.S!!!!

Maradona is the best there ever was, in his prime years, he was literally unstoppable. Those who say Pele was better are very wrong. Pele was a great player, no doubt, but those were different times, soccer was much easier back then, it wasnt as complicated as it was on Maradona's years, Pele just got the ball and scored, Maradona did much more than that, he was/is a genious on the field, setting up plays and finishing them as well. And to the English who still hate him for beating England on the 86 world cup thanks to the "hand of God", I think you're very jealous because England has never and will never have a player like Maradona..England, Argentina will always be your daddy- some argentinian guy.

I'd recomend you, soccer fans that still have doubts about which was the greatest soccer player of all times, to go spend a few hours watching some videos. I did. In fact I made a little "research" on the subject. And let me tell you Maradona's talent has no comparison with any other soccer player in history. Not only that he was incredibly skillfull and did amaizing things with the ball, but sometimes he seemed to be 1 or 2 seconds "ahead" of the rest.

Maradona was... a soccer artist.

As Platini said..... "Zidane is the best soccer player nowadays, but what he does with a soccer ball, Maradona can do with an orange"

Dont waste money on this book... go buy a few videos so you can see the best soccer player of all times in action