Diego Maradona’s secret visit to Man Utd’s training that left stars stunned

6 min readNov 28, 2020

Zlatan Ibrahimovic insists Diego Maradona’s off-pitch controversies should not take away from fans remembering a man who became a “symbol” of the game.

Maradona passed away aged 60 on Wednesday, with reports suggesting he died from a heart attack.

The Argentina great — a star for Boca Juniors, Barcelona and Napoli during an illustrious playing career — had undergone a brain operation earlier this month.

Ibrahimovic joined in paying tribute to Maradona following the news of his death, writing in a post on his official Instagram account: “Maradona is not dead he is immortal. God gave the world the best gifted football player of all times [sic]. He will live forever and ever.”

Maradona had well-documented issues off the field, but Ibrahimovic is adamant he will be remembered for his achievements on it.

“I’m so sorry, because for me Maradona is more than football,” Milan’s talisman told Sky Italia.

“He has become a religion for many and I was lucky enough to know him and talk to him.

He is a symbol of what he has done on the pitch. I always judge him for what he did on the pitch; what he did outside, in my opinion, is his problem and not ours.

“We must remember him for what he did as a footballer and in my opinion, he will be remembered forever. When you see number 10, who do you think about? Maradona.

“It is a symbol, even today there are those who choose that number for him.”

Ibrahimovic believes Maradona — whose death has resulted in a three-day period of mourning in Argentina — “did everything with his heart”, something which sets him apart as a unique talent.

“As a person, he did everything with his heart, there were no other motives or thoughts. I don’t know if that’s the right thing, but that’s why the whole world loved him,” Ibrahimovic said.

“He was always himself. In today’s football, everyone tries to be perfect, but to grow and learn you have to make mistakes.

“Maradona always did everything with his heart and will always remain number one.

Back in 1975, when we were playing with the national side at Boca Juniors stadium, La Bombonera, they would get a child to entertain the crowd before the game. This kid was at Argentinos Juniors, but he hadn’t made his debut.

He was 14 or 15 years old but he was already a minor celebrity, juggling the ball before the games. And, to be honest, he was fantastic. We were national team players but we would go out to see him perform.

He would be walking around the stadium with the ball, doing these extraordinary tricks as he talked to people and waved to the crowd. We were saying to each other: ‘How can he even do this?’

He was 15 or 16 by then. Cesar Menotti, our manager, would always bring a couple of young players into the sessions to make up the numbers, so that we could play 11 a side.

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The day came when Diego showed up, very humble, a bit nervous. To be honest, he was in awe of us. He was still a child, already a little bit stocky. You can imagine how sceptical we were. Of course, as soon as he played, we could see how good he was. He was a sensation. But you know footballers. They can be very cynical.

We had seen so many young players who were extremely skilful but never made it. He was more skilful than any other but there was still this doubt. And we were saying: ‘Well, of course, he’s very good. But look at him! He’s too small! He will never make it. We’re talking about playing in the Argentinian first team.’ This wasn’t football for creative players. It was football for the baddies.

Within a year, he had made his debut for the national team at the age of 16, when he came on for Leopoldo Luque against Hungary in 1977. And after that he was one of us.

The 1978 World Cup was approaching and it would be hosted in Argentina. Because of that, 25 players were taken out of club football and went to a training camp to work together for six months from January 1978.

It was obvious he was brilliant. But I think it created a problem for Menotti. During difficult times in 1976–77, he had promised the squad of 22 that he would stick by us for the World Cup because we had stuck by him. And I don’t think he felt he could break that promise. And that is why, at the end of April 1978, Diego was one of the players left out.

This has been on my mind ever since the news of his death came through on Wednesday. That day Diego was crying as he left the hotel. We couldn’t comfort him.

We were saying: ‘Diego you’re young. You’ll have other chances.’ But he carried on crying and crying. By the end, all of us were crying. For Diego, it was the biggest setback he suffered as a footballer. He had some wonderful moments and some bad moments in his career but that was the biggest shock of his footballing life.

When we played in the 1978 World Cup, the team that started the tournament was pretty much the team that played and won in the final apart from one position, where we struggled to find a solution: the No 10. We started with Jose Daniel Valencia, we had Norberto Alonso, we had Ricky Villa and we finished with Mario Kempes, a centre forward, playing there. What might we have been like with Diego?

Soon after 1978 he was recognised as the best player in the world and when he was with the national team he would almost do the same as he had done as a 14-year-old boy before the matches. Only this time he was a player and it was part of his warm-up.

He would stand in the middle of the pitch and start juggling the ball. Then he would kick the ball up in the air and begin chatting to you as though he had forgotten it. ‘Ossie, how are you today?’ And then ‘Boom!’. The ball would fall on to his foot again as though he knew exactly where it was all the time.

It is impossible to do that. I haven’t seen anyone do anything close to that. He would do that knowing that the other team was there. Most of the time, the opponents stopped their warm-up to watch, knowing that 10 minutes later they would be playing this monster. He knew that and did it to give us the advantage. For the other team it was: ‘Cor blimey!’ And for us playing with him, it was: ‘Hello! He’s playing for us! No problems.’

When I was 17, I went on a school trip. The school thought it was important and organised a mini-bus. I concocted an elaborate excuse to skip the bus journey.

I said I’d drive myself there. Not because I was being flash. Not because I’d just passed my test.

But because I knew that if I went in the mini-bus, I wouldn’t get back to Manchester in time. I’d miss the game. I’d miss seeing Diego Maradona play.

Maradona was one of the greatest footballers of all time — idolised for the extraordinary skill that sent him tearing through the England defence to score the “goal of the century” in the 1986 World Cup quarter-finals.

Mourners gathered to pay their respects in his hometown. “We grew up together,” one reminisced. “He was such an honour for Friorito. I’ll never forget the last time he was here with us.”

Diego Maradona’s secret visit to Man Utd’s training that left stars stunned

Written by Maradonamaragese