Diego Maradona has been acclaimed by many to be the most talented and controversial soccer player of his generation. He grew up in the Barrio of Buenos Aires, learning his trade, playing soccer with other street children. He rose out of poverty and became El Diego. El Diego is the life story of the great Maradona, written by the man himself.

The book begins with an introduction from Maradona, saying, “ I feel as if my life is on film.” He writes about his love for futbol. The book goes into great detail about Maradona's first soccer team, Los Cebiollitas; where he was spotted as a great talent, immediately. A life changing decision arises and Boca Juniors purchase Maradona. At Boca Juniors, Maradona deals with jealous teammates. After two successful, but difficult years, Barcelona buys him and Maradona's career takes a turn for the worse. He begins his battle with drugs and suffers from Hepatitis C. After two unhappy years, Napoli a poor Italian team buy Maradona.
After facing poverty and controversy, Maradona's autobiography is a let out of emotions and brutal honesty. I like that Maradona admits his mistakes and expresses his honesty well. Another area Maradona excels is expressing his emotion, when he describes preparing for the 1986 World Cup. “Up until that moment, I'd think of the word play-off and my soul would break into pieces. I was ruined physically ruined.”

If I were to recommend this book, I would recommend it to any soccer fan and anyone who enjoys an interesting autobiography. The book would require parental permission for younger readers, since there is a substantial amount of drug reference and mature language.