Grew up in poverty and died while surrounded by wealth and excess, the image of Maradona embodies a “rise and fall” trajectory ever-so stereotypical for footballers in the 80s and 90s. Addicted to alcohol and cocaine, Maradona personifies cocaine itself. Defined by excess, overindulgence and decadence, something triggered him to always want more of everything and never having enough. At the same time, Maradona had an unparalleled love for football. No one touched the ball with the same tenderness and intimacy as he did.
In this 368-page book Maurice van Es tried to portrait Maradona (1960-2020) as complete and honest as he could. During four years he scanned over 1.000 Maradona photos from all kinds of magazines, postcards, fanzines, gossip magazines and other printed materials. He regards the book as an ode to the rich complexity that resides in every human being.