Hugo Maradona

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Hugo Maradona

| image = Hugo maradona.jpg

| caption = Hugo Maradona in 1987

| fullname = Hugo Hernán Maradona

| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1969|5|9}}

| birth_place = Lanús, Argentina

| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2021|12|28|1969|5|9}}

| death_place = Monte di Procida, Italy

| height = 1.65 m

| position = Midfielder

| youthyears1 =

| youthclubs1 =

| years1 = 1985–1987

| clubs1 = Argentinos Juniors

| caps1 = 19

| goals1 = 1

| years2 = 1987–1988

| clubs2 = Ascoli

| caps2 = 13

| goals2 = 0

| years3 = 1988–1990

| clubs3 = Rayo Vallecano

| caps3 = 64

| goals3 = 9

| years4 = 1990

| clubs4 = Rapid Wien

| caps4 = 3

| goals4 = 0

| years5 = 1990

| clubs5 = Deportivo Italia

| caps5 = 33

| goals5 = 5

| years6 = 1991

| clubs6 = Progreso

| caps6 = 0

| goals6 = 0

| years7 = 1992–1994

| clubs7 = PJM Futures

| caps7 = 49

| goals7 = 31

| years8 = 1995–1996

| clubs8 = Avispa Fukuoka

| caps8 = 48

| goals8 = 33

| years9 = 1997–1998

| clubs9 = Consadole Sapporo

| caps9 = 56

| goals9 = 15

| years10 = 1999

| clubs10 = Toronto Italia

| caps10 = 0

| goals10 = 0

| nationalyears1 = 1985

| nationalteam1 = Argentina U16

| nationalcaps1 = 11

| nationalgoals1 = 4

| manageryears1 = 2004–2005

| managerclubs1 = Puerto Rico Islanders

}}

Hugo Hernán Maradona (9 May 1969 – 28 December 2021), also known as El Turco, was an Argentine football player and coach. He was the younger brother of Diego Maradona.{{cite news|author=Paul Doyle |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2012/jul/11/the-knowledge-diego-maradona-famous-brother |title=The Knowledge | Does Diego Maradona have a more famous brother? | Football | guardian.co.uk |publisher=Guardian |date= 11 July 2012|access-date=11 July 2012 |location=London}} He played as a midfielder for clubs in South America, Europe, Japan, and Canada, and was a member of the Argentina U-16 national team.

Career

In 1985, Maradona was a part of the Argentina U-16 national team's squad that competed at the U16 South American and World Championships in China. In Argentina's first round match against Congo, he scored two goals to help the team to a 4–2 win, which however was one goal short of what Argentina needed to advance past the group stage.

During 1987, Hugo Maradona was bought by Ascoli to play in the Italian Serie A championship. He played just 13 matches without scoring a goal and was sold at the end of the season to Rayo Vallecano in Spain. During 1989 he moved again, that time to Rapid Wien, and after that experience he went back to Argentina.

In 1992, he moved to Japan to play for the PJM Futures (renamed as Tosu Futures after changing their hometown in 1994), which was aiming to promote to the newly inaugurated J.League. After playing for Futures for three seasons, he played for Fukuoka Blux (known as Avispa Fukuoka since 1996) in the 1995 and 1996 seasons and Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo in the 1997 and 1998 seasons.

After retiring from association football as a player, Maradona lived a relatively quiet life in Argentina.{{cite web |url=http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/sports/hugo-maradona-brother-of-argentinas-favorite-son-k/nL7Xq/ |title=Hugo Maradona, brother of Argentina's favorite son, keeps eye on |publisher=www.palmbeachpost.com |access-date=11 July 2012 |archive-date=28 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140728014535/http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/sports/hugo-maradona-brother-of-argentinas-favorite-son-k/nL7Xq/ |url-status=dead }}

In 2004, Hugo Maradona moved part-time to Puerto Rico, where he became part of that country's association football federation's attempt to invigorate the sport among Puerto Ricans by becoming the head coach of the Puerto Rico Islanders, a team in the American USL First Division.{{Cite web |date=2021-12-28 |title=Hugo Maradona, Diego Maradona's brother and former Serie A player, dies at 52 |url=https://www.cbssports.com/soccer/news/hugo-maradona-diego-maradonas-brother-and-former-serie-a-player-dies-at-52/ |access-date=2025-03-31 |website=CBSSports.com |language=en}} He then moved back to Italy, working for a number of youth and amateur teams in the Naples region.

Personal life and death

Maradona was born in Lanús on 9 May 1969, as the youngest sibling of brothers Diego Maradona and Raúl Maradona, both noted footballers in their own right. His father Diego Maradona "Chitoro" (1927–2015), who worked at a chemicals factory, was of Guaraní{{cite news |author=Welch, Julie |title=Diego Maradona obituary |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/nov/25/diego-maradona-obituary |newspaper=The Guardian |date=25 November 2020 | access-date=28 December 2021}} (Indigenous) and Galician{{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}} (Spanish) descent, and his mother Dalma Salvadora Franco, "Doña Tota" (1929–2011), was of Italian descent.

He died from a heart attack at his home in Monte di Procida, near Naples, on 28 December 2021, at the age of 52, a year after his brother Diego.{{cite web|url=https://www.gazzetta.it/Calcio/Serie-A/Napoli/28-12-2021/morto-hugo-maradona-fratello-diego-aveva-52-anni-430659701230.shtml |title=Morto Hugo Maradona, fratello di Diego. Aveva 52 anni|publisher=La Gazzetta dello Sport|access-date=28 December 2021 |date=28 December 2021}}{{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=2 January 2022 |work=AP News |date=28 December 2021 |language=en}}{{cite news |title=Soccer-Hugo Maradona dies a year after his brother Diego |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-soccer-italy-nap-maradona-idUKKBN2J70X3 |access-date=2 January 2022 |work=Reuters |date=28 December 2021 |language=en}}{{cite news |title=Diego Maradona's brother Hugo dies at 52 |url=https://www.dw.com/en/diego-maradonas-brother-hugo-dies-at-52/a-60278429 |access-date=2 January 2022 |agency=Deutsche Welle |date=28 December 2021}} He has 3 kids with ex-wife, Delia Occhionero. Fraternal twins, Nicole and Thiago Maradona, and Melina Maradona.

References

External links

{{Sports links}}
[https://web.archive.org/web/20060510172333/http://clarence.supereva.com/contents/sport/speciali/020312bidoni/maradona.html About Hugo Maradona] (Italian)

Category:1969 births

Category:2021 deaths

Category:Argentine football managers

Category:Argentine men's footballers

Category:Argentine people of Guaraní descent

Category:Argentine sportspeople of Italian descent

Category:Argentine people of Basque descent

Category:Ascoli Calcio 1898 FC players

Category:Men's association football midfielders

Category:Avispa Fukuoka players

Category:Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo players

Category:Deportivo Italia players