Diego Maradona (born 1961) is an icon in Argentina, much like Evita Peron. As a soccer player, he took his team to new heights and became a hero to sports fans--many of whom referred to him as "San Diego." He also took sports paychecks to new heights, claiming unheard of salaries in trade after trade. Maradona was plagued by cocaine addiction, though, and his career came to an early end.

At the age of 25, Diego Maradona was the central figure of the 1986 World Cup challenge. The short, stocky midfielder scored two goals against the English. The first was cause for great debate, as he had hit the ball with his hand, an illegal move. Maradona had shrugged it off, saying, "from the hand of God to the head of Maradona." He apologized four years later on Italian television as reported in the Chicago Tribune, "It was my hand, not...