A Soccer Legend Diego Maradona Is Getting the Animated Series Treatment

Diego Maradona is headed for animation. India-based Reliance Animation is developing a new series about the Argentine legend, and the family is involved. There are still a lot of blanks to fill in, but here’s what they’re actually saying right now.

What we know so far

• Developer: Reliance Animation (India).
• Rights partner: SATTVICA SA in Argentina, which controls Maradona’s IP.
• Scope: His early years and rise to global superstardom, plus his off-field struggles and broader cultural impact.
• Audience: Pitched as animation that can play for kids but also connect with all ages, per the executives involved.
• Platform: Not announced.
• Release timing: Not announced.
• Who's talking: Reliance Entertainment CEO Shibasish Sarkar says the goal is to tell a story of resilience, passion, and achievement; Reliance Animation CEO Tejonidhi Bhandare wants the show to capture the spirit, struggles, and triumphs of Maradona’s life; Bridge Marketing Group Inc. CEO Samuel Nieto frames it as a chance for young athletes to learn about Maradona’s legacy.

If you need the quick refresher: Maradona was an attacking midfielder for Argentina and one of the sport’s all-timers. Turning his life into a family-friendly animated series is an ambitious swing, because his story is both mythic and messy. The pitch here is to celebrate the football genius while not pretending the rest didn’t exist.

Maradona’s sisters are backing it through SATTVICA, and they’re clearly aiming at a younger audience:

"We, Diego's sisters, are very happy and proud of this new project with such a prestigious company as Reliance, with which we will seek to reach the children's audience and for all the children of the world to know our brother."

A couple things I’m watching: there’s no distributor or streamer named yet, and no release window, so this is early. Also, the creative balancing act will be the whole ballgame. If they actually thread it, you get an accessible intro to one of sports’ biggest icons that still acknowledges why he looms so large beyond the highlight reels. If not, it risks feeling like a sanitized trading card.

More when we hear where it’s landing and when it’s actually arriving.