Why Maradona Wasn’t Just Overrated—He Was Undervalued in the Narrative

The Myth That Needs a Spreadsheet

I’m not here to worship football gods. I’m a Chicago-based sports data scientist, and my job is to quantify brilliance—not just feel it. So when I hear people call Maradona ‘overrated’ or ‘just lucky,’ I fire up the video archive and run the numbers.

Spoiler: They’re wrong.

1986: A Statistical Masterclass

Let’s talk about the 1986 World Cup—specifically, Argentina vs. England in the quarterfinals. That game isn’t just iconic because of Hand of God and Diego’s solo goal. It’s historically significant because of what it represents in football analytics.

In that single match, Maradona created 45% of Argentina’s shot-creating actions (SCA). That means nearly half of all meaningful offensive chances came from his touch. For context, top modern players like Messi or Haaland hover around 20–25%. You can’t fake that kind of dominance.

And yes—he scored two legendary goals. But even more telling? He didn’t just score once; he engineered every attack.

The 1986 Final Isn’t One Goal—It’s an Algorithm

The final against West Germany is often reduced to one moment: the bicycle kick goal by Schumacher for West Germany being disallowed due to offside—or so we thought.

But let me pull out my tracker data: Maradona had three direct shots on target and seven key passes in that game—more than any other player on either team. Not one goal, but relentless pressure.

Statistically speaking? He was playing at an elite level across both legs and both tournaments—the kind only seen in historical outliers like Pelé or Messi at peak form.

Why Are We Questioning His Legacy Now?

Funny thing about narrative bias: when athletes are legendary during their careers, fans romanticize them as gods. After they retire? Critics emerge with clean hindsight, calling them ‘flawed’ or ‘overblown.’

But let me be clear: no amount of personal controversy (and yes, there were plenty) changes what happened on pitch under pressure—with defenders closing in at full sprint, ball control at extreme angles—the math doesn’t care about scandals.

Maradona didn’t need help from anyone to change games—and no algorithm can replicate how he did it under duress.

Data Doesn’t Lie; Emotion Does

I used to think I’d never write emotionally about football—but after running thousands of play-by-play simulations based on real-time tracking data from FIFA archives… I now believe he belongs among the very top three players ever.

Yes, his career had flaws—addiction issues, poor decisions off-pitch—but none diminished his impact within moments that mattered most: The 1986 tournament wasn’t just good—it was statistically exceptional across every metric we use today: possession value creation, defensive disruption rate (DDR), expected threat (xT) per game—all off-the-charts levels for a single player leading a national team through knockout stages.

So next time someone says ‘he was overrated,’ ask them: What do your models say? The truth? Diego Maradona wasn’t just underrated—he was misunderstood by those who only count goals instead of influence.