Diego Maradona^†

A shantytown kid from Villa Fiorito who turned pro at 15, he was already the world's most expensive footballer by the time 1986 rolled around. What the World Cup did was separate him from every other expensive footballer on earth. In a single quarter-final against England, he scored a blatant handball he described as 'a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God,' then dribbled 60 meters past five players to score what FIFA later voted Goal of the 20th Century. Both goals came four minutes apart. Argentina won the tournament, and Maradona took the Golden Ball. He didn't just win the World Cup. He became the reason people watched football.

Naples renamed their stadium after him within two weeks of his death. A religion founded in his honor has roughly 300,000 followers. And yet the criminal trial over his death is still running. Eight healthcare workers face homicide charges over his death, accused of leaving him without adequate care in a private house with no defibrillator, 14 days after brain surgery. The first trial was declared a mistrial in 2025 when the judge was caught filming a documentary about the case. A second trial began March 2026. He died at 60 with the circumstances of his death still under criminal investigation.

At his first tryout, coaches reportedly asked to see his ID because they assumed someone his age couldn't actually play that well. He was 8. He turned pro at 15, broke the world transfer record twice before he was 24, and spent the next decade being comprehensively ungovernable. Italian tax authorities eventually declared he owed $45 million from his Napoli years. The settlement: $48,000, two luxury watches, and a set of earrings. Even the tax bill worked out in his favor.

His coffin lay in state at the Casa Rosada, the wake cut short after crowd surges and police clashes. Eight healthcare workers were charged with homicide over his death, with prosecutors accusing them of leaving him without adequate care 14 days after brain surgery. The first trial was declared a mistrial in 2025 after the judge was caught filming a documentary about the case. A second trial began in March 2026.