Maradona's Birthdays, One by One: From Childhood Chocolate to a Party With Los Piojos

Some dates just carry more weight for soccer fans. October 30th is one of them. That's the day, in 1960, that Diego Armando Maradona was born, and ever since, each of his birthdays came loaded with some story, some goal or some confession that he himself would end up telling. The Maradonian Church, which brings together hundreds of thousands of fans around the world, even celebrates Christmas Eve on October 29th and Maradonian Christmas the following day. Going through his birthdays one by one is almost like going through his entire life.

As a kid, the celebrations were simple. "We didn't have big gifts, but there was always chocolate. My mom went to incredible lengths," he would recall years later. In 1976, having just turned 16 and only 10 days after his debut in the first division, he trained with Argentinos Juniors and celebrated with family. A year later, at 17, Argentinos beat Huracan 2-0 and Diego set up a goal; that night, he celebrated with friends and with Claudia Villafañe, his girlfriend at the time.

The following years brought a mix of goals and low-key celebrations: at 18 he celebrated in his new house in La Paternal, at 19 he was cheered outside the AFA headquarters alongside the youth champions, and at 20 he blew out the candles in Mar del Plata after scoring and setting up a goal against San Lorenzo. In 1982, already at Barcelona, he turned 22 while playing, scoring the second goal in a 4-0 win over Racing de Santander, and Claudia gave him a bicycle, a French watch and a cake shaped like a soccer ball.

Not every birthday was a happy one. In 1983 he couldn't even play: he was recovering from the brutal ankle fracture caused by Andoni Goikoetxea. In 1991, suspended for doping and just out of police custody, he spent the day sailing the Rio de la Plata, far from any soccer field.

From Naples to retirement, between cake and confessions

In Naples, Diego celebrated his birthdays as an absolute idol: in 1985 he received a "super Neapolitan cake," and in 1986, by then a World Cup champion, he celebrated with a party at his house while preparing for the match against Inter. In 1997, just days after playing his final match as a professional in the Superclasico at the Monumental, he confirmed his retirement on the very day of his birthday: "I'm done. I can't take it anymore. And this retirement is final. My dad asked me to, in tears," he said on La Red radio.

Last night my daughters reminded me that I was turning 35. They brought me the fans' chants and it was the nicest gift I ever got.Diego Armando Maradona

The year 2000 brought a big birthday bash, with Los Piojos and La Mosca playing at a 500-guest party after his recovery in Cuba. But the following year was one of the hardest: "I'm really not doing well, without my girls, with a cloudy day and on top of it all, very alone. This is definitely not my best birthday," he admitted from the island.

As a coach, he went through very different birthdays: in 2008 he was confirmed as head of the national team, in 2010 he went through "the saddest birthday" of his life following his exit from that job, and in Dubai, between 2011 and 2017, he kept celebrating alongside Rocio Oliva, his children and grandchildren, always with a soccer ball shaped cake somewhere in the mix.

His last birthday, in 2020, found him coaching Gimnasia, struggling seriously to walk but honored by the AFA, the Liga Profesional and the La Plata club. Just three days later he was hospitalized, and on November 25th of that same year, Diego Armando Maradona died at his home.