HBO has acquired the U. S. television and streaming rights to the feature-length documentary<\/b>
\nHBO has acquired the U. S. television and streaming rights to the feature-length documentary \u201cDiego Maradona,\u201d the network announced on Wednesday.
The documentary, which will have its world premiere at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, documents the trials and triumphs of the legendary soccer player. HBO plans to release the documentary, which was executive produced and directed by Asif Kapadia, on Sept. 24.
\u201cDiego Maradona has long been considered the greatest footballer ever, and Asif Kapadia\u2019s filmmaking perfectly captures every high and low of his transcendent career, from his controversial \u2018Hand of God\u2019 goal to his awakening of Napoli, and more,\u201d Peter Nelson, executive vice president, HBO Sports, said. \u201cWe look forward to sharing this landmark documentary with both soccer and non-soccer fans alike.\u201d
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\u201cMy producers and I are delighted to be working with HBO on the release of \u2018Diego Maradona\u2019 in North America,\u201d Kapadia said. \u201cHBO stands for quality, and as long-term fans, we know we\u2019re in great hands. Having spent three intense years working with my brilliant team of collaborators on the most complex charismatic character, Diego Maradona, I\u2019m excited to see how the North American audience reacts. I hope this is the beginning of a long journey together with HBO and Diego.\u201d
The documentary features video archives and personal photos as well as interviews with historians and journalists.
Maradona is an Argentine retired football player who had the nickname \u201cEl Pibe de Oro,\u201d (\u201cThe Golden Boy\u201d), due to his extreme passion and talent in the sport. He was the first player in football history to set the world record transfer fee twice, and played professionally at Napoli and Barcelona. Maradona played in four FIFA World Cups, including the 1986 World Cup when Argentina won over West Germany in the final. In that World Cup, Maradona\u2019s \u201cHand of God\u201d goal became one of the iconic moments in soccer history
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\u201cDiego Maradona\u201d is an HBO Sports presentation in association with On The Corner and Lorton Entertainment. James Gay-Rees and Paul Martin produce, which executive producers are Kapadia, George Pank, Will Clarke, Julian Bird and Bil Bungay. For HBO, executive producers are Nelson and Bill Simmons. Cinetic Media negotiated the deal on behalf of the filmmakers.<\/p>\n