Maradona, Rossi, Houllier, these great figures of football who died in 2020
Argentina's Diego Maradona with the World Cup in 1986 and France's Gérard Houllier with the FA Cup in 2001 © AP Photo / Carlo Fumagalli - Action Images via Reuters / Andrew Couldridge / File Photo
Text by: Tom Rossi Follow
8 min
In addition to the legend Diego Maradona, the football world lost in 2020 other icons such as the Italian 1982 world champion Paulo Rossi, the French coaches Gérard Houllier and Michel Hidalgo, or the Englishman Jack Charlton winner of the World Cup 1966, and Senegalese Pape Diouf.
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Diego Maradona, god of football
The emotion and the tributes
went far beyond the football world, when on November 25, Diego Armando Maradona died of a heart attack at the age of 60.
"
God is dead
" headlined the newspaper
L'Équipe
the next day.
The Argentine was adored and considered by many to be
the best player of all time
.
World champion in 1986 after a competition in which he scored
the most controversial goal in history
(the "
hand of god
") and one of the most beautiful ("
the goal of the century
") , Maradona also marked forever the supporters of Naples which he wore the colors from 1984 to 1991. "
El Pibe de Oro
" led the Italian club to its only two national coronations (1987, 1990) and its only European title ( 1989 UEFA Cup).
Diego Maradona also had
his flaws
(drugs, alcohol) and never managed to become a great trainer.
Enough to make a
human
“
god
”.
Diego Maradona was coach of the Dorados de Sinaloa in the Mexican second division, in 2018-2019 REUTERS / Henry Romero
Paolo Rossi, Italian legend
Less than two weeks after Diego Maradona, the hero of another World Cup left us on December 9 at 64 years old.
The Italian Paolo Rossi
had led the “
Nazionale
” to the coronation at the “
Mundial
” 1982 in Spain, with his six goals scored, the best total of the competition.
The striker, suspended in 1980 in the "
Totonero
", a scandal of match-fixing and illegal betting in Italy, made his return at the World Cup where he surprised and amazed by scoring a mythical hat-trick against Brazil for offer a place in the semi-finals to Italy (3-2).
During the half against Poland, it was again he who scored all his team's goals (2-0), before opening the scoring in the final against West Germany (3-1).
Paolo Rossi, top scorer at this World Cup, was also elected best player, then Ballon d'Or at the end of this perfect year 1982 for the Tuscan.
In club, at Juventus Turin, he formed a formidable trio with Platini and Boniek, and accumulated trophies during the 1983-1984 season: Serie A, Italian Cup, Cup of Cups, and European Supercup.
He ended his career in 1987, at the age of 31, after having played nearly 400 league matches.
Michel Hidalgo, the French pioneer
At the time of the announcement of his death on March 26 following a long illness at 87, he still held the record for longevity on the bench of the France team.
Michel Hidalgo, at the head of the Blues from 1976 to 1984
, was passed seven months after his disappearance by the current coach Didier Deschamps, in office since 2012.
Hidalgo was a pioneer.
He is the one who paved the way for success for the France team who had never won anything before him.
The former AS Monaco midfielder was a lover of beautiful play and beautiful players.
Platini, Giresse, Tigana, these three number 10 would probably never have evolved together in the France team, without him.
He made them shine in harmony.
Accompanied by Fernandez, these four talents formed the "
magic square
".
A brilliant idea, daring, which offered the first coronation in the history of the Blues at Euro 1984, two years after a semi-final of the World Cup.
The coach Michel Hidalgo, carried in triumph by his players after the coronation of the Blues at Euro-1984, on June 27 at the Parc des Princes AFP / Archives
Gérard Houllier, “
Red
” forever
He was one of the first French coaches to export abroad, and with success.
After offering the first league title in the history of PSG in 1986 and his failure at the head of the France team, which he failed to qualify for the 1994 World Cup,
Gérard Houllier writes his legend in England
, in Liverpool, from 1998 to 2004. With him, the “
Reds
” had an exceptional 2001: Cup, League Cup, UEFA Cup, European Supercup.
Never have Liverpool won so many trophies in a single year.
For this, Gérard Houllier has always been appreciated in the North West of England.
He was also in Lyon where he won two French league titles in 2006 and 2007, before returning to the club ten years later as an advisor.
Gérard Houllier was a very respected technician, "
a great gentleman, a very cultured and intelligent man, a fine connoisseur of football, certainly one of the greatest French coaches with an exceptional track record
," Michel Platini wrote to the announcement of his death, on December 14, at the age of 73.
The former coach of PSG, Liverpool and Lyon Gérard Houllier.
AFP / File
Jack Charlton, English world champion loved by the Irish
"
Big Jack
", winner of the 1966 World Cup with his brother, the legendary "
Bobby
" is considered one of the best defenders in the history of the England team and Leeds United, the club of his life where he spent 23 years.
He is still today the most capped player of the "
Peacocks
" with 773 matches played between 1952 and 1973.
World champion in 1966, then English champion in 1969, Jack Charlton was then a trainer making the heyday of the Republic of Ireland;
for ten years.
“
Big Jack
” becomes “
Saint Jack
” when he leads Eire in the quarter-finals of the 1990 World Cup, two years after a victory over England at Euro 1988 which is remembered.
Feats which have earned Jack Charlton, who died on July 10 at the age of 85, to be one of the few personalities to obtain Irish citizenship on an honorary basis.
Pape Diouf, the influential president
Former journalist, players' agent then president of Olympique de Marseille from 2005 to 2009,
Pape Diouf died on March 31
, swept away by the Covid-19, at the age of 68.
For Senegal coach
Aliou Cissé, his compatriot was a "
man of principles and convictions
".
He was "
a great figure of sport, a great committed leader and eminence grise of football
" had moved Senegalese President Macky Sall.
Pape Diouf was also very popular in Marseille where supporters consider that he has greatly contributed to building the team crowned champion of France in 2010, after 17 years without a title for OM.
Former Olympique de Marseille president Pape Diouf after the announcement of his candidacy for mayor of Marseille on February 4, 2014 AFP / Archives
They also passed away in 2020
Bruno Martini
, the former goalkeeper of the France team from 1987 to 1996 (31 caps) died on October 20 after cardio-respiratory arrest.
Nobby Stiles
, former England midfielder who was world champion in 1966 and Manchester United icon, has died aged 78 after a long illness.
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