Sania Mirza

She has responded with exasperation to questions about her use of her clothing as a billboard.
. At the post-match conference for her 2005 Wimbledon Championships 2nd round defeat to Svetlana Kuznetsova the writing said: "Well-behaved women rarely make history".
. Following her loss to Sharapova in the 4th round she had changed this to "Don't Get in My Way".
. For her post-match conference after the 2nd round of 2005 US Open her shirt asked "I'm Cute?". A columnist for the sports daily Olé welcomed Maradona's hosting a TV show in 2005, noting that "for the first time, he seems to have found his place in the world outside the football pitch".

Personalised text on her t-shirts have also sometimes attracted attention. This quote from former teammate Jorge Valdano summarizes the feelings of many:. However, when playing tennis, her dress is typical of contemporary women tennis players. Hounded for years by yellow journalism, Maradona even fired a compressed-air rifle against reporters who, so he claimed, invaded his privacy. When off the court Mirza wears the traditional Salwar Kameez, a nose ring and several ear rings complete her wardrobe. Broadcaster Alejandro Dolina was the first to denounce the unfairness of this treatment. According to the September 10 Hindustan Times report^[3], Board Chairman Mirza Mohammad Athar asserted that "Sania had committed no sin by wearing her choice of dresses on field," and had asked "clerics not to interfere in matters pertaining to sports.". Maradona was renowned for his modesty, and worked until he turned ninety, so the comparison was often unfavorable to the footballer.

The All-India Shia Muslim Personal Law Board quickly responded with a statement that called the fatwa "unnecessary and uncalled for". Dr. The Guardian later identified^[2] the scholar as Haseeb-ul-hasan Siddiqui, a leading cleric with the Sunni Ulema Board. Commentators in Argentina have often compared Maradona to Esteban Laureano Maradona (1895–1995), a physician who helped indigenous communities achieve better health standards, and was the recipient of the 1987 UN Medicine for Peace prize. According to a Hindustan Times report^[1] published September 8, 2005, an unnamed religious scholar had issued a fatwa, saying that her attire is contrary to what is permitted by Islam. Tens of thousands more have become members via the Church's official web site. Hackles have been raised in some quarters supposedly due to her attire not being in line with her Muslim background. - "despues de Diego" or After Diego - for its founding 200 members.

Mirza is also the first Indian sportswoman to feature on the cover of Time magazine (South Asian edition) and was included in its 2005 list of Asia's 50 heroes. In Buenos Aires, fans organized the "Church of Maradona." Maradona's 43rd birthday in 2003 marked the start of the Year 43 D.D. Watching her performance in Acura Classics, tennis legend Pancho Segura, Ecuador-born American player who roamed the courts in the 1940s and 50s, felt that Sania's hard-hitting game resembled that of Romanian tennis legend Ilie Nastase - Segura said that Mirza had a natural way of hitting the ball and that she hit it hard, like Nastase. When scolded by a friend for taking the prank too far (by elaborating on the passion of Jesus), the fake priest retorts: "But I was talking about Maradona". She has defeated two top 10 players, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Nadia Petrova. In the Argentine film Son of the Bride (El Hijo de la Novia), an actor who impersonates a Catholic priest says to a bar patron: "they idolized him and then crucified him". The Government of India honoured her with Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award in 2006. In Argentina, Maradona is often talked about in terms reserved for legends.

In 2005, she was awarded the Arjuna award in tennis for the year 2004. Ever since 1986, it is common for Argentines abroad to hear Maradona's name as a token of recognition, even in remote places. $ 0.35 million per brand per annum. Bush's presence in Argentina, wearing a Stop Bush T-shirt. The media termed the phenomenon Sania Mania. She reportedly has sponsorships to the tune of U.S. He has declared his opposition to imperialism, notably during the 2005 Summit of the Americas in Mar del Plata, Argentina, where he protested George W. Mirza has earned a large fan following in India as she is one of the very few young women from that country to have done well at the highest levels of sport. He became friends with Fidel Castro while in treatment in Cuba, and has a tattoo of Ernesto Che Guevara on his right arm.

Sania won the Wimbledon Championships Girls' Doubles title in 2003, teaming up with Alisa Kleybanova of Russia. In later years, Maradona has shown sympathy to left-wing ideologies. On February 12, 2005, she became the first Indian woman to win a WTA singles title defeating Alyona Bondarenko of Ukraine in the Hyderabad Open Finals. Since he seldom used his right foot for any decisive action, defenders were confounded the few times he did. Having secured a wild card entry to the 2005 Australian Open Mirza reached the third round, losing to eventual champion Serena Williams. Maradona's kicking had a mixture of precision and power that enabled him to score many free kicks. She became the first Indian woman to reach the 4th round of a Grand Slam tournament at the 2005 US Open, defeating Mashona Washington, Maria Elena Camerin and Marion Bartoli. Another trademark was the Rabona or reverse-cross pass (shot behind the leg that holds all the weight), with which he provided several assists, such as the powerful cross for Ramón Díaz's headed goal in the 1984 friendly match against Switzerland.

Her year-end rank in 2004 was 206. One of Maradona's trademark moves was dribbling full-speed as a left wing, and on reaching the opponent's goal line, delivering accurate passes to his teammates that many times proved lethal. As of October 2005, she also ranked 2nd among Asian women. In Maradona's time defenses became more athletic, so both dribbling and securing possession of the ball required additional speed and the ability to think under stress. Her original goal had been to enter the top 100 by the end of 2005, but she revised this to entering the top 50 after good performances at the beginning of the year. His goal against Italy in the 1986 World Cup demonstrated this. She is the highest ranked female tennis player ever from India - ranked 31 in singles and 109 in doubles by mid-October 2005. Maradona could convert fragile possessions into goals.

"After a month, he called my parents to say he'd never seen a player that good at such a young age." WTA interview. He was also a wizard with the ball and could manage himself in limited spaces, attracting defenders only to quickly dash out of the melee (as in the second goal against England), or pass to a free teammate who would take the ball and score, like Burruchaga did to secure the 1986 World Cup. tall. This is illustrated by his two goals against Belgium in the 1986 World Cup. 7 in. His strong legs and low center of gravity gave him additional advantage in short sprints. "My mother took me to a coach, who initially refused to coach me because I was too small," said Mirza, who is 5 ft. Short and stocky, Maradona had a very strong physique and could withstand physical pressure better than almost all players.

Coached by her father Imran Mirza, Sania, a Muslim, began playing tennis at the age of six, turning professional in 2003. When Maradona resumed public appearances shortly afterwards, he displayed a notably thinner figure. . On March 6, 2005, it was announced that Maradona underwent gastric bypass surgery in a clinic in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia. Sania Mirza (born November 15, 1986, Mumbai and now residing in Hyderabad) is a professional tennis player from India. Maradona has always had a tendency to put on weight, and has displayed a remarkable level of obesity since the late 1990s. 2003 Wimbledon Championships Juniors doubles: Won the tournament (partnering with Alisa Kleybanova) to become the youngest Indian and the first Indian woman to win a junior Grand Slam title. He returned to Cuba in May.

entered the singles as wild card but lost in the first round to the eventual winner Nicole Pratt. After he showed improvement, Maradona was taken off the respirator on April 23, and remained in intensive care for several days before being discharged on April 29. 2004 Hyderabad Open doubles: Won the tournament (partnering with Liezel Huber) to become the youngest Indian to win a WTA or ATP tour title and the first Indian woman to capture a WTA tour title. Days after the heart attack, a nurse was caught taking photos of Maradona with a cellular telephone and was promptly fired by the hospital managers. 2005 Australian Open singles: 3rd round: Became first Indian woman to reach the 3rd round of a Grand Slam tournament. Scores of fans gathered around the clinic. 2005 Hyderabad Open singles: Won the tournament defeating Alyona Bondarenko of Ukraine 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 in the final and became the first Indian woman to capture a WTA singles title. On April 18, 2004, doctors reported that Maradona had suffered a major heart attack following a cocaine overdose; he was admitted to intensive care in a Buenos Aires hospital.

2005 Dubai Tennis Championships: Upset reigning US Open Champion Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4, 6-2 in 2nd round to reach the quarter-finals. Between 2002 and 2005, Maradona spent most of this time in Cuba. By beating the 8th-ranked Petrova, she breaks into top 50 in world rankings for the first time ever. Since the 1990s, Maradona has been battling a cocaine addiction, which included spells in Swiss and Cuban detox clinics. 2005 Acura Classic: upsets Nadia Petrova in 2nd round but loses in the third round to Akiko Morigami of Japan (2-6,6-4,4-6). In marked contrast to the athleticism he showed during his years as a football player, since his retirement Maradona has been plagued by a series of health problems. 2005 Forest Hills Women's Tennis Classic, New York: reaches her second WTA final but fails to win. [4], [5].

Voted Best Player of the day on the 3rd day for winning her 2nd round match despite bleeding toes. After the divorce, Claudia embarked on a career as a theater producer, and Dalma is seeking an acting career; she has expressed her desire to attend the Actor's Studio in Los Angeles. 2005 US Open: reaches 4th round by defeating Marion Bartoli of France in straight sets (7-6(4), 6-4) before losing to top seed Maria Sharapova 6-2, 6-1. [3]. 2005 Japan Open: reaches the semi-finals of women's singles and doubles (partnering Shahar Peer of Israel); reaches her highest doubles ranking of 114. Diego had spells on trial with Blackburn Rovers and Dunfermline Athletic. (The Italian courts had so ruled in 1993, after Maradona refused to undergo DNA tests for proving or disproving his paternity.) He met Diego for the first time in May 2003 after the 17 year old tricked his way onto a golf course in Naples where Maradona was playing.

Naples, 1986), as was claimed by his mother, Cristiana Sinagra. During the divorce proceedings, Maradona admitted he was the father of Diego Sinagra (b. [2]. Diego and Claudia traveled together to Napoli for a series of homages in June 2005.

Daughter Dalma has since asserted that the divorce was the best solution for all, as her parents remained on friendly terms. Diego and Claudia divorced in 2004. In his autobiography, Maradona admits not always being faithful to Claudia, even though he refers to her as the love of his life. 1989).

1987) and Giannina Dinorah (b. Maradona married long-time fiancée Claudia Villafañe on November 7, 1989 in Buenos Aires, after she gave birth to their daughters, Dalma Nerea (b. Almost all guests were drawn from the worlds of football and show business. In subsequent programs, he led the ratings with only one exception.

His main guest on opening night was Pelé; the two had a friendly chat, showing no signs of past differences. On 15 August 2005, Maradona made his debut as host of a talk-variety show on Argentine television, La Noche del 10 ("The Night of the #10"). Maradona remains aloof of day-to-day activities. With Maradona staying very close to the players, Boca went on to win the 2005 Apertura title, the Copa Sudamericana and the Recopa.

His contract began 1 August 2005, and one of his first reccomendations proved to be very effective: he was the one who decided to hire Alfio Basile as the new coach. On 22 June 2005, it was announced that Maradona would return to Boca Juniors as a sports vice president in charge of managing the First Division roster (after a disastrous 2004–05 season, which coincided with Boca's centenary). Maradona has won other polls, including a 2002 FIFA poll in which his second goal against England was chosen as the best goal ever scored in a World Cup; he also won the most votes in a poll to determine the All-Time Ultimate World Cup Team. Even though Argentine officials have claimed that FIFA hinted that it would grant the request, the authorization was denied.

In 2001, the Argentine Football Association asked FIFA for authorization to retire jersey number 10 as a homage to Maradona. (For more on FIFA's handling of the issue, see this Sports Illustrated article.). Maradona cried foul and left the awards ceremony as soon as his prize was awarded. Then, in an unannounced move, FIFA appointed a "Football Family" committee, which voted to elect Pelé alongside the Argentine.

In the same year, Maradona was voted Player of the Century in an official FIFA poll conducted on the Internet, garnering 53.6% of the votes. In 2000, Maradona published his autobiography Yo Soy El Diego ("I am El Diego"), which became an instant bestseller in his home country. Maradona and Coppola parted ways acrimoniously, and they still refer to the end of their relations as an "open wound". Coppola oversaw the biggest contracts of Diego's career, but also was involved in the drug scandals.

After breaking up with Cyterszpiller, Diego hooked up with Guillermo Coppola, a bank employee who started representing players as a hobby and evolved into a major agent. On his advice, Maradona started charging for interviews, a move that generated some controversy. He set up Maradona Producciones but did not score any major successes with merchandising, as counterfeiters would quickly imitate any product that came on the market. Jorge Cyterszpiller, a childhood friend, was Diego's first agent.

On January 26, 1997, Maradona discussed on live Ecuadorian TV with Ecuadorian president Abdalá Bucaram about playing in Bucaram's Barcelona SC team, but nothing ever came out of this, as Bucaram was ousted by a coup d'état. He retired from football on October 30, 1997. He also attempted to work as a coach on two short stints, leading Mandiyú of Corrientes (1994) and Racing Club (1995) without much success. Maradona left Napoli in 1992, after serving a 15-month ban for failing the drug test for cocaine, and played for Sevilla FC (1992–93), Newell's Old Boys (1993) and Boca Juniors (1995–97).

In Naples, where he is still beloved (having brought the local team their first scudetto), he also faced a scandal regarding an illegitimate son and was the object of some suspicion over his friendship with the Camorra, the local mafia. This allegation was never proved, and many attribute his comment ("they cut off my legs") to Diego's anger at being suspended. On this matter, he has suggested that he had an agreement, on which FIFA later reneged, to allow him to use the drug for weight loss before the competition in order to be able to play, so that the World Cup would not lose prestige because of his absence. He arrived at the 1994 World Cup and played two games (scoring one goal) before being sent home after failing a drug test for ephedrine doping.

Maradona also captained Argentina in the 1990 World Cup, leading his team to the final, where they lost 1–0 to West Germany. The two goals were ranked 6th in Channel 4's 100 Greatest Sporting Moments in 2002. Argentina went on to defeat England 2-1 in that game. This goal was voted Goal of the Century in a 2002 online poll conducted by FIFA.

He ran half the length of the pitch, passing five English players (Glenn Hoddle, Peter Reid, Kenny Sansom, Terry Butcher, and Terry Fenwick) as well as goalkeeper Peter Shilton. In contrast, however, Maradona's second goal was an uncontroversial and impressive display of footballing skill. I told them, 'Come hug me, or the referee isn't going to allow it.'" [1]. He recalled thinking right after the goal that "I was waiting for my teammates to embrace me, and no one came .

However, on 22 August 2005 Maradona acknowledged on his new television talk show that he hit the ball with his hand purposely and that he immediately knew the goal was illegitimate. He later claimed it was the "Hand of God" and described it as "A little of the hand of God, and a little of the head of Maradona," implying that God was ultimately responsible for the goal, because the referee had missed the handball offense. Action replay footage showed that the first goal was scored with the aid of his hand. However, it was the two goals he scored in the quarterfinal game against England which cemented his legend.

Throughout the 1986 World Cup, Maradona asserted his dominance and was widely regarded as the best player of the tournament. Maradona led the Argentine national team to victory in the 1986 World Cup, the team winning 3–2 in the final against West Germany. Napoli were also runners-up in the Italian Championship twice (1987/88 and 1988/89). Napoli won their only Italian Championships (1986/87 and 1989/1990), a Coppa Italia (1987), a UEFA Cup (1989) and an Italian Supercup (1990).

Barcelona's management was not satisfied with Maradona, and in 1984 transferred him to SSC Napoli, where he became an adored star, lifting the team to its most successful era. However, Maradona had an unhappy tenure in Barcelona: first a bout with hepatitis, and then an ill-timed tackle by Athletic Bilbao's Andoni Goikoetxea that put Maradona's career on the line; Diego's physical strength and willpower made it possible for him to be back on the pitch after only 14 weeks. In 1983, under coach César Luis Menotti, Barcelona and Maradona won the Copa del Rey (Spain's annual national cup competition), beating Real Madrid. Later in the year, Maradona was transferred to FC Barcelona.

Although the team convincingly beat Hungary and El Salvador to progress to the second round, they were defeated in the second round by Italy (1:2), the side which eventually won the cup, and Brazil (1:3), during which game Maradona was sent off for kicking an opponent. In the first round, Argentina, as defending champions, lost to Belgium 0-1. In 1982, Maradona played his first World Cup tournament. At age 18, he played the Football World Youth Championship for Argentina, and was the star of the tournament, shining in their 3–1 final win over the USSR team.

He debuted with the Argentina national football team ("la selección"), at age 16, against Hungary. At age 15,Maradona made his debut with Argentinos Juniors, where he played between 1976 and 1981 before his transfer to the club that he supported, Boca Juniors, where he played during the remainder of the 1981 season and 1982 and secured his first league title. As a ball-boy in first division games, he amused spectators by showing his wizardry with the ball during the halftime intermissions. He became a staple of the cebollitas, the junior team of Buenos Aires side Argentinos Juniors.

At age 10, Maradona was spotted by a talent scout while he was playing in his neighborhood club Estrella Roja. He has two younger brothers, Hugo (el turco) and Eduardo (Lalo), both of whom were also professional footballers. He was the first son after three girls. Diego Armando Maradona was born in Villa Fiorito, a shantytown in the southern outskirts of Buenos Aires, to a poor family who had relocated from Corrientes Province.

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. He is regarded as one of the best—and one of the most controversial—players in the history of the game. Diego Armando Maradona (October 30, 1960, Lanús, Buenos Aires), nicknamed El Diez, Pelusa and El Diego, is a former Argentine football player.

Retrieved August 20, 2005. "Zidane, Ronaldo to appear on Maradona TV show", Reuters/Yahoo! (August 19, 2005). Retrieved August 17, 2005. 'El Diez emprende dos nuevos desafíos', ESPN Deportes (July 28, 2005).

2005 Argentine Senate "Domingo Faustino Sarmiento" recognition for lifetime achievement. England; second goal). 2002 "FIFA Goal of the Century" (1986 (2–0) v. 2000 "FIFA best football player of the century", people's choice.

1999 Argentine Sports Writers' Sportsman of the Century. 1996 Golden Ball for services to cccfootball (France Football). 1986 World Player of the Year (World Soccer Magazine). 1986–1987 Best Footballer in the World (Onze).

1986 European Footballer of the Year (France Football). 1986 Golden Ball for Best Player of the FIFA World Cup. 1986 Argentine Sports Writers' Sportsman of the Year. 1979, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1992 South American Footballer of the Year (El Mundo, Caracas).

1979–1981, 1986 Argentine Football Writers' Footballer of the Year. 2005 Boca Juniors (Football vice-president). 1995 Racing Club de Avellaneda. 1994 Mandiyú de Corrientes.

1993 Copa Artemio Franchi. 1990 FIFA World Cup runner-up. 1986 FIFA World Cup winner. 1979 FIFA World Youth Championship.

1991 Italian Super Cup (SSC Napoli). 1990 Italian league (SSC Napoli). 1989 UEFA Cup (SSC Napoli). 1988 Italian top-scorer (SSC Napoli).

1987 Italian Cup (SSC Napoli). 1987 Italian league (SSC Napoli). 1981 Argentine league (Boca Juniors). Argentina second-highest goal-scorer (held the record until surpassed by Gabriel Batistuta).

21 appearances in four FIFA World Cup Championships (1982, 1986, 1990, 1994). 1977–1994 Argentina (91 appearances, 34 goals).