Wamma! Four years after lifting the trophy as a GOD, Diego Maradona was a BROKEN man on Italian soil. The 1990 World Cup Final against West Germany in Rome was lost 1-0 on a controversial Andreas Brehme penalty. As the German players celebrated, the cameras zoomed in on Maradona — and the man who had carried Argentina through the tournament was WEEPING uncontrollably. The greatest player on Earth, reduced to tears. Football's biggest stage, and football's biggest hero, broken!
Year: 1990 Match: West Germany vs Argentina Location: Stadio Olimpico, Rome Round: Final Category: Emotion
The Moment
- Argentina lost the 1990 World Cup Final 1-0 to West Germany in Rome — a brutal anti-climax
- Maradona had played through serious pain throughout the tournament with multiple injuries
- He was openly booed by Italian fans during the Argentine national anthem before the match
- The cameras caught him crying as the German players celebrated their third World Cup title
- The image of weeping Maradona became one of the most iconic photographs of his career
The Verdict
Maradona's tears in 1990 showed that even gods can be broken. Four years earlier he was lifting the trophy as the greatest player on Earth. Now he was weeping on the Olympic Stadium turf in Rome. The contrast between 1986 and 1990 captured the cruel beauty of the World Cup — one tournament makes you immortal, the next makes you painfully HUMAN again!
Tomorrow: #22 — Stay tuned for the next magical World Cup moment!
