Maradona, made by the Serbian director Emir Kusturica, who has twice won the Palme d’Or prize at Cannes, had its world premiere at the film festival yesterday. The 90-minute documentary tells the story of the footballer’s rise from humble beginnings, his descent into drugs and drink, and his rebirth.
Renowned for his skill and control, Maradona was a member of championship-winning teams in Argentina, Italy and Spain. But few England fans will forget how he knocked them out of the World Cup in 1986 with a little help from his hand.
Maradona, who retired in 1997, said yesterday that his drug addiction was behind him: “What is good is that I survived to be able to talk about it. I can get up every morning and talk to my daughters. I’ve abandoned all those bad habits. I have a different life. Above all, I’m not living at 100 miles an hour, as I used to.”
He also gave warning to his fellow soccer icon, Pelé, to stop criticising him. Pelé has said that Maradona’s medals should be stripped from him because of his drugs offences.
