Maradona and China: Perceptions and representations of a sports myth

This article highlights specific aspects of the relationship between Maradona and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to trace the development of the “one-athlete brand” in global sport and the construction of the “foreign” sports myth in China. These aspects include the aligned development of football in China and Maradona as an icon, manifested in the gap in the domestic space for Western athletic icons in China and Maradona’s rise during the 1986 World Cup; the political identity and interpretation of Maradona as a supporter of communist and socialist regimes amidst China’s opening and international integration; and the modern development of the Chinese sports machine and Maradona’s corresponding stardom first as a player and then a coach. We assert that Maradona’s extensive story not only included China, but even reflects the strong sociological and cultural implications seen in the profound changes in Chinese society beginning in the mid-1980s.