DIEGO MARADONA is constructed from over 500 hours of never-before-seen footage from Maradona’s personal archive with the full support of the man himself. On 5th July 1984, Diego Maradona arrived in Naples for a world-record fee.

For seven years all hell broke loose. The world’s most celebrated football icon and the most passionate but dangerous city in Europe were a perfect match for each other. On the pitch, Diego Maradona was a genius. Off the pitch, he was treated like a God.

The charismatic Argentine loved a fight against the odds and led Napoli to their first-ever title. It was the stuff of dreams. But there was a price… Diego could do as he pleased while performing miracles on the pitch but, as time passed, darker days closed in.

As seen in the first trailer for the documentary, simply titled “Diego Maradona,” the film isn’t just interested in the athlete’s activities on the pitch. Instead, the film focuses not only on his meteoric rise to superstardom, but also the controversial, and steep, fall from grace that came after.

The doc comes courtesy of Academy Award-winning filmmaker Asif Kapadia. He’s probably best known for his recent documentaries “Amy” (for which he earned the aforementioned Oscar) and “Senna.” Outside of his doc work, the director has also helmed narrative features and TV series, such as the film “The Warrior” and the episodes of the recent TV series “Mindhunter.”

“Diego Maradona” is screening out of competition at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. A worldwide theatrical release has yet to be announced.