How to Do the Maradona Soccer Move (5-Step Guide)
A great skill to use to evade an oncoming defender, the Maradona soccer move will leave opponents scratching their heads at how you got away from them with ease.
Also known as the 360, Roulette, or Zidane, the mesmerising manoeuvre sees players spin past the opposition, dazzling them with their fleet footwork and terrific technique, timing, and turn.
While it takes some time to master, this dribble move can help you get out of some tight spots on the pitch and win you some much needed time and space.
In addition, it’ll also keep your opponents guessing as they'll never know what trick you'll come out with next.
To help you learn how to do the Maradona soccer move, let's break it down into five simple steps before looking at some tips and tricks that’ll help you get it right, time and time again.
How to Do the Maradona Soccer Move
First popularised in the 1970s by the French striker Yves Mariot, the Marseille Turn as it was then known was later made even more famous by both Maradona and Zidane.
These two wily World-Cup-winning No. 10s both used the trick to great effect throughout their careers, cutting through their opponent's defensive lines and drawing fouls and plaudits alike with their silky skills.
Before working your way through the following steps, it’s well worth watching a couple of videos of them both doing the move.
This will not only give you a feel for the motion and movement you need to do the skill but also inspire you to replicate some of Maradona and Zidane's greatest moments!
Ready?
Okay, let's go!
Step One: Place the Ball on the Ground
Before attempting to do the skill on the move, it’s best to place the ball on the ground and start with it in a stationary position.
You then want to slowly run towards it as if you were dribbling and visualise a defender coming towards you to take the ball off of you.
Step Two: Place Your Studs on Top of the Ball
Next, you want to almost 'grab' the top of the ball with the studs of your stronger foot and drag it back towards your other foot.
As the Maradona soccer move is all about swiftly and suddenly changing direction to evade your opponent, this part is crucial for taking the ball away from the defender's incoming challenge.
Make sure that you get enough of a touch on the ball to bring it back towards you.
If you don't, the ball will continue to roll forward and the opposition will clear it away.
Step Three: Rotate Your Body and Place Your Foot Next to the Ball
As you drag the ball back towards your other foot, you want to simultaneously rotate your body so that your back or side is now facing the onrushing defender.
You then want to place the foot you initially 'grabbed' the ball with on the ground in between the ball and the defender you visualised earlier.
This helps to protect the ball from the defender and prevents them from putting in a fair tackle to win it back.
Make sure to keep your arm up to both stabilise yourself and hold your opponent off.
Step Four: 'Grab' the Ball with Your Weaker Foot
At the same time as you’re rotating your body and putting your foot down, you want to 'grab' the ball with the sole of your weaker foot.
You then want to drag it into the space behind you.
The idea is to push the ball far enough in front of you so that you evade the defender but not so far that you lose control over it.
Once you’ve perfected this fluid movement, both of your feet should be off of the ground for a split-second as you spin past the defender in an almost 180-degree turn.
Quite how much you rotate on the turn depends on where you want to end up and where the opposition players are.
Step Five: Accelerate Away!
Once you’ve dragged the ball behind you and completed the spin, you then want to dribble or accelerate away from the despairing defender.
The key to successfully pulling off the Maradona soccer move is to time the turn to perfection by slowly luring them in and then pirouetting past.
After leaving them dazed, confused, and in your wake, you then have more time and space in which to pick a pass or take a shot.
Now that we've seen just exactly how to do the magical move, let's take a look at some tips and tricks on how to take it to the next level.
Tips and Tricks to Take Your Maradona Soccer Move to the Next Level
As you can see, you need to get your timing, technique, and turn right if you’re to pull off the this soccer move and dazzle your opponents, teammates, and the crowd with your silky skills.
While practising it over and over again will help you to master the motion and movement, it’s well worth learning other feints and tricks which you can throw in to confuse your opponents further.
To take it to the next level, here are some things to bear in mind when practising the move:
1. Practice, Practice, Practice
Practice makes perfect and this certainly holds true for the Maradona soccer move.
Once you’ve perfected the move from a stationary position, you then want to practice it with the ball rolling before you.
Start slowly before increasing the speed at which you complete the turn.
As you drag the ball back to your weaker foot, there should be a split-second where both of your feet are in the air and your body rotates about 180 degrees.
Once you feel confident doing it on the move, practice with cones by dribbling towards them before doing a Maradona move past them.
After this, practice with a friend to really master the move.
2. Know When to Use It
As with all tricks and feints, while it’s all well and good mastering them, the most important thing is to know when to use them.
While the Maradona can be incorporated into dribbles and runs, it often comes up organically as players realise that the ball is almost out of reach and stretch to pull it away from defenders before pirouetting past them.
Having said that, the move can be used to great effect from a stationary position, particularly when you’re in a tight position and are hemmed in against the touchline by a defender.
3. Learn Other Tricks and Feints
While a perfectly timed and executed Maradona is very tough to defend against, you’ll certainly make defenders' jobs easier if you keep doing it!
By learning other tricks and feints and incorporating them into your dribbling, you’ll keep your opponents guessing and add an air of unpredictability to your game.
In addition to this, learning other tricks will help improve your technique and footwork which will also help with the Maradona move.
4. Change Direction and Speed
What makes the move so effective and elegant is that the trick sees you slow down, spin, and sprint away from the defender; all in one fluid movement.
To really make the silky move count, use it to evade defenders and change the direction you’re going in as this will win you time and space out on the pitch.
Once you’ve pirouetted past, make sure to put in a burst of speed so that you power away and into space.
5. Watch and Learn
As aforementioned, a great way to really learn how to do the Maradona soccer move is to watch videos online and learn from the masters.
This will not only teach you how to perfect the technique and turn but also introduce you to new scenarios in which you could pull the trick off.
While Maradona and Zidane are the two most famous players associated with the move, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Neymar have all been known to use it on occasion.
Conclusion:
Not only one of the most effective and unexpected soccer moves out there, the Maradona is also one of the most stylish and satisfying to pull off.
To get it right time and time again, players need to focus on getting their technique, timing, and turn just right so that they spin past the despairing defender and win themselves some time and space.
A great skill to help get you out of a tight spot, the Maradona soccer move is a fun and useful trick to learn that’ll certainly draw applause and appreciation from the onlooking crowd.