Diego Maradona turns 59: Top 5 antics of the Argentinian legend

Diego Maradona - the man, the myth, the legend. Widely regarded as one of, if not the most, greatest players to have graced the pitch in the history of the game, Diego Maradona turned 59 on Thursday. The Argentine legend has gone on to score some of the most memorable goals the world has ever seen, while also propelling Napoli and Argentina to new heights during his playing career. 

If you're wondering what the Argentine great is up to these days, Maradona currently spends his day as manager of Argentinian club, Gimnasia de La Plata. As a huge crowd of spectators gathered in and around the Estadio Marcelo Biesla, Diego Maradona took charge of his Gimnasia side, looking to lift them off bottom place. 

The Argentine legend was handed an early birthday present when his Gimnasia side emerged victorious against Newell's Old Boys. Maradona was gifted a throne by his former side Newell's Old Boys and was seated on the throne as he saw Gimnesia triumph over his old side. As the Argentine great turns 59, here's a look at the most hilarious antics from his career in the game. 

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1. Best Player of the Century award

Diego Maradona is arguably the greatest player to have graced the football pitch, period. The Argentine great was on course to receive the "Best Player of the 20th Century" award in a FIFA ceremony. However, after receiving information that he was to share the award with Pele, Maradona walked off the stage.

2. 2010 World Cup training session

In a training session before the 2010 World Cup, Diego Maradona had an interesting take on how to imbibe more team spirit in his squad. Maradona organised a mini-match within his squad. The losers of this mini-game were made to line up in goal, while the winners were made to pelt the losers with footballs. Maradona joined Sergio Aguero and former Inter Milan centre-back Walter Samuel in goal to partake in the ordeal. 

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3. 2018 World Cup, Argentina

The 2018 World Cup was a highly disappointing one for the Argentinians. During their narrow win over Nigeria in their final group game, Diego Maradona was in attendance. During the game, Maradona appeared to make an offensive two-handed gesture from the stands. His attention-grabbing outburst led to the Argentine legend being escorted out of the VIP box during the game.

4. Maradona's superstitions at Gimnesia 

Having seen Gimnesia struggle in Argentinian league, Diego Maradona decided that something drastic had to be done for change in their fortunes. So, the Argentine great took the superstitious route out. He immediately banned the colour green from the dressing room, which meant that a number of players had to change their boots. He also got the whole team blessed in order to rid the team of any negative energy. 

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5. UEFA Super Cup 1988/89

Having led Napoli to a 3-0 win over Juventus in the quarter-final, it was up to Diego Maradona to once again take charge during Napoli's UEFA Super Cup semi-final against Bayern Munich. After prevailing 2-0 over the Bavarian giants in the first leg, Napoli seemed well placed to ease through to the final. Before the game, however, Diego Maradona chose an odd way of warming up to the challenge. As Opus' 1986 hit 'Life is Life' played in the stadium, Maradona indulged in a comical warm-up routine after showcasing the array of ball controlling skills in his Arsenal. 

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