"It Was A Step Backwards": Diego Maradona Opens Up On His Cocaine Addiction

Legendary footballer Diego Maradona was never one to mince words, be it about Lionel Messi's form with the Argentina football team, supposedly unfair refereeing or his personal life, which comes under the spotlight more often than not. This time around, the 1986 FIFA World Cup-winning captain has opened up about the drug addiction phase that had once left his career in a lurch. In an interview with Spanish news outlet Infobae (a translated version of which was later carried on English website The Sun), Maradona expressed his concern over drugs affecting all parts of the Argentinian society and drifted back into time with a tinge of regret.

Speaking about the bygone phase, and thinking what opinion people form about him, he said, "They could say a lot things, but since I got over the illness (addiction) 15 years ago, they talk about doping. I want to explain that when I was taking drugs, it was a step backwards and what a footballer has to do is move forwards. Everything stopped because of my daughters, I came to Mexico to work."

Maradona, who is currently managing second-tier Mexican side Dorados, also opened up about how the malaise drug addiction still grips the Argentine society.

"Don't think that only that the kid scraping the barrel takes drugs. In Argentina, there are people who take drugs who are from good stock. I know because I have taken drugs with them," he said.

In his playing career, Maradona has been an integral part of clubs such as Napoli, Barcelona, Sevilla and Boca Juniors. He was also the manager of the Argentina national squad from 2008 to 2010.

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Diego Maradona Lionel Messi Football