Diego Maradona cries for Argentina after Croatia World Cup hammering

It has been an unusual life for Argentina's former captain and 1986 World Cup winner Diego Maradona.

Child prodigy, near deity, tragic fall from grace, bloated retirement ennui, something like redemption, a spell managing the football team he excelled with as a player, now a hard to quantify seventh act in which it's no longer clear that he's his country's greatest ever footballer.

To non-South Americans these days, our sightings of Maradona are generally confined to World Cups, in which he acts as a manic cheerleader, grimacing at his team's inadequacies or exploding with joy at their moments of glory. Sat in the posh seats in Category Five stadiums, never truly separated from his adoring public.

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Does Diego care too much? On Thursday night's evidence: quite possibly.

Maradona was as wound up as most of the world watching Lionel Messi and co. fail to find a way past an error-prone Croatian defence in Nizhny Novgorod:

Perhaps he peaked too early, taking hold of a Messi jersey and kissing it:

...then spinning it around his head in delirium, while the crowd in the stadium chanted his name.

All was well.

The words on this t-shirt, wonderfully, translate as "I love you, but I'm a mess". We won't hear of it Diego. You're a wonderful man and this is going to be a wonderful football match.

Sadly, the football match taking place below Diego had other ideas.

As the game progressed and it became increasingly clear that Argentina were not about to find form at this World Cup, Maradona began to show the strain.

Is that really Manchester City reject Willy Caballero keeping goal?

Why's he trying to lob it over Ante Rebic?!

Oh dear, he's scored.

Oh dear, Croatia have scored again.

...and again.

Finally it all got a bit too much and Maradona was caught on camera, seemingly having a well-deserved cry.

Never knowingly under-emotional.

Sadly we may only see similar once more this tournament. Argentina could be heading out at the group stage unless they get themselves in order very soon.

Let's hope they can master their emotions slightly better than our old friend Diego.