Editing Diego Maradona (section)

==Early years==
Diego Armando Maradona was born on 30 October 1960, at the Policlínico (Polyclinic) Evita Hospital in [[Lanús]], [[Buenos Aires Province]], to a poor family that had moved from [[Corrientes Province]]; he was raised in [[Villa Fiorito]], a [[villa miseria|shantytown]] on the southern outskirts of [[Buenos Aires]], Argentina.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://football.guardian.co.uk/theknowledge/story/0,,1751019,00.html |title=The greatest rags-to-riches stories ever| first1=James|last1= Dart|first2=Paul|last2= Doyle |first3= Jon |last3=Hill|work=[[The Guardian]]|date= 12 April 2006|access-date=10 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220320061059/https://www.theguardian.com/football/2006/apr/12/theknowledge.sport|archive-date=20 March 2022|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Reuters2015"/> He was the first son after four daughters. He has two younger brothers, [[Hugo Maradona|Hugo]] (''el Turco'') and [[Raúl Maradona|Raúl]] (Lalo), both of whom were also professional football players.<ref>{{cite news |title=Hugo Maradona, younger brother of Diego, dies at 52 |url=https://apnews.com/article/soccer-sports-serie-a-italy-naples-dea3a5334630dbc21adbfceae3e51dd4 |access-date=25 November 2022 |work=AP News |date=28 December 2021 |language=en |archive-date=25 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221125034015/https://apnews.com/article/soccer-sports-serie-a-italy-naples-dea3a5334630dbc21adbfceae3e51dd4 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2012/jul/11/the-knowledge-diego-maradona-famous-brother|title=Does Diego Maradona have a more famous brother?|date=11 July 2012|author=Paul Doyle|work=The Guardian|access-date=25 November 2022|archive-date=19 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190419031549/https://www.theguardian.com/football/2012/jul/11/the-knowledge-diego-maradona-famous-brother|url-status=live}}</ref> His father Diego Maradona "Chitoro" (1927–2015), who worked at a chemicals factory, was of [[Guaraní people|Guaraní]] (Indigenous) and [[Galician Argentines|Galician]] ([[Spanish Argentines|Spanish]]) descent,<ref>{{cite news |title=El gallego Maradona |url=https://www.farodevigo.es/deportes/2020/11/26/gallego-maradona-25606557.html |newspaper=Faro de Vigo |date=26 November 2020 |access-date=29 December 2021 |archive-date=4 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211204014334/https://www.farodevigo.es/deportes/2020/11/26/gallego-maradona-25606557.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and his mother Dalma Salvadora Franco, "Doña Tota" (1930–2011), was of [[Italian Argentines|Italian]] and [[Croatian Argentines|Croatian]] descent.<ref name="GuardianOrbituary">{{cite news |title=Diego Maradona obituary |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/nov/25/diego-maradona-obituary |newspaper=The Guardian |last=Welch|first= Julie |date=25 November 2020 | access-date=26 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220524143229/https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/nov/25/diego-maradona-obituary|archive-date=24 May 2022|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Sinagra: ''Maradona ha origini italiane? Vi racconto cosa mi diceva Diego. Messi...'' |url=https://www.areanapoli.it/interviste/sinagra-maradona-ha-origini-italiane-vi-racconto-cosa-mi-diceva-diego-messi_485704.html |access-date=22 December 2022 |website=AreaNapoli.it |language=it |archive-date=22 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221222083714/https://www.areanapoli.it/interviste/sinagra-maradona-ha-origini-italiane-vi-racconto-cosa-mi-diceva-diego-messi_485704.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Los desconocidos orígenes croatas de Diego Maradona |url=https://www.ambito.com/deportes/diego-maradona/los-desconocidos-origenes-croatas-n5605237 |access-date=29 December 2022 |website=www.ambito.com |archive-date=29 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221229113516/https://www.ambito.com/deportes/diego-maradona/los-desconocidos-origenes-croatas-n5605237 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=El volcánico partido de Maradona en Croacia: visita a la tumba de Petrovic, 0 a 0 arreglado y amenaza de renunciar al Mundial - TyC Sports |url=https://www.tycsports.com/al-angulo/mundial-de-qatar-2022-diego-maradona-seleccion-argentina-croacia-id481845.html |access-date=29 December 2022 |website=www.tycsports.com |date=13 December 2022 |language=es-AR |archive-date=29 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221229113518/https://www.tycsports.com/al-angulo/mundial-de-qatar-2022-diego-maradona-seleccion-argentina-croacia-id481845.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Diego Armando Maradona er af kroatisk og galicisk afstamning |url=https://blog.myheritage.dk/2022/12/diego-armando-maradona-er-af-kroatisk-og-galicisk-afstamning/ |website=MyHeritage-blog |date=13 December 2022}}</ref>

{{Blockquote|When Diego came to Argentinos Juniors for trials, I was really struck by his talent and couldn't believe he was only eight years old. In fact, we asked him for his ID card so we could check it, but he told us he didn't have it on him. We were sure he was having us on because, although he had the physique of a child, he played like an adult. When we discovered he'd been telling us the truth, we decided to devote ourselves purely to him.|source=Francisco Cornejo, youth coach who discovered Maradona<ref name="Quotes"/>}}

[[File:Maradona torneos evita.jpg|thumb|left|Maradona playing at the Torneos Evita in 1973 (a national sporting event in Argentina) with the "Cebollitas"]]
Maradona's parents were both born and brought up in the town of [[Esquina, Corrientes|Esquina]] in the north-east province of [[Corrientes Province|Corrientes]] on the banks of the [[Corriente River]]. In the 1950s, they left Esquina and settled in Buenos Aires.<ref name="Reuters2015">{{cite news |title=Don Diego, father of Maradona, dies in Argentine clinic |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-soccer-maradona-idUKKBN0P52MK20150625 |access-date=25 November 2022 |work=Reuters |archive-date=25 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221125034014/https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-soccer-maradona-idUKKBN0P52MK20150625 |url-status=live }}</ref> Maradona received his first football as a gift at age three and quickly became devoted to the game.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Diego Maradona |url=https://www.biography.com/athlete/diego-maradona |access-date=26 November 2020 |website=Biography |language=en-us |archive-date=15 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115142555/https://www.biography.com/athlete/diego-maradona |url-status=live }}</ref> At age eight, he was spotted by a talent scout while he was playing in his local club Estrella Roja. In March 1969 he was recommended to ''Los Cebollitas'' (The Little Onions), the junior team of Buenos Aires's [[Argentinos Juniors]] by his close friend and football rival [[Gregorio Carrizo]] who had already been picked by coach Francis Gregorio Cornejo.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://90soccer.com/the-greatest-lost-soccer-talents-of-all-time/|title=Lost soccer talents: 6 players who sparked too early|website=90soccer.com|date=23 June 2022|access-date=7 December 2022|archive-date=30 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230830224623/https://90soccer.com/the-greatest-lost-soccer-talents-of-all-time/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.eldestapeweb.com/deportes/serie-de-maradona/francis-cornejo-la-historia-del-descubridor-de-diego-maradona-20211028125554|title=The story of Francis Cornejo|website=eldestapeweb.com|date=28 October 2021|language=Spanish|access-date=7 December 2022|archive-date=7 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221207125542/https://www.eldestapeweb.com/deportes/serie-de-maradona/francis-cornejo-la-historia-del-descubridor-de-diego-maradona-20211028125554|url-status=live}}</ref> Maradona became a star for the Cebollitas, and as a 12-year-old ball boy he amused spectators by showing his ball skills during the halftime breaks of Argentinos Juniors' first division games.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fundus.org/referat.asp?ID=12053 |title=The Hand of God|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060217163238/http://www.fundus.org/referat.asp?ID=12053 |archive-date=17 February 2006|url-status=dead}}</ref> During 1973 and 1974, Maradona led Cebollitas to two ''Evita Tournament'' wins and 141 undefeated games in a row, playing alongside players like [[Adrian Domenech]] and [[Claudio Rodríguez (footballer, born 1960)|Claudio Rodríguez]], in what is regarded as the best youth team in the history of Argentine football.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/47961674|title=Argentinos Juniors: The 'Argentinean Ajax'|website=BBC|date=2 May 2019|access-date=7 December 2022|archive-date=14 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190514203944/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/47961674|url-status=live}}</ref> Maradona named Brazilian playmaker [[Rivellino]] and [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] winger [[George Best]] among his inspirations growing up.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/english/2005/1126/198627-bestg/ |title=Maradona hails 'inspirational' Best|work=[[RTÉ Sport]]|date=26 November 2005|access-date=10 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220410073225/https://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2005/1126/198627-bestg/|archive-date=10 April 2022|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>"Football's Greatest – Rivelino". Pitch International LLP. 2012. Retrieved 8 May 2014</ref>