Maradona (2018 film)

Maradona is a 2018 British documentary film directed by Asif Kapadia, known for his previous documentaries Senna (2010) and Amy (2015). The film focuses on the life and career of Argentine footballer Diego Maradona, particularly his time playing for S.S.C. Napoli in Italy from 1984 to 1991.

The documentary utilizes over 500 hours of never-before-seen footage from Maradona's personal archive, combined with contemporary interviews with Maradona, his family, teammates, and others involved in his life during that period. It charts his arrival in Naples as a record-breaking signing, his subsequent rise to stardom, leading Napoli to unprecedented success, and his struggles with fame, addiction, and his association with the Camorra, the Neapolitan Mafia.

The film aims to provide an intimate and complex portrait of Maradona, showcasing both his brilliance on the pitch and his personal demons off it. It explores the pressures he faced, the adulation he received, and the controversies that surrounded him, ultimately depicting a multifaceted and often contradictory figure. Maradona received generally positive reviews, with critics praising Kapadia's compelling storytelling and the film's access to rare archival footage.