Tag: Maradona

2Dec By dthataNo Comments

Sport

Referee Who Missed Maradona’s Hand Of God Goal Says It Was An Honor

The Tunisian referee from England's infamous defeat by Argentina at the 1986 World Cup says he is "proud and honoured" to have helped Diego Maradona score the " goal of the century". Maradona, who died on Wednesday at the age of 60, beat several England players on a mazy dribble from just inside his own half before scoring to put Argentina 2-0 up, four minutes after scoring the controversial goal he famously credited to the "Hand of God". Referee Ali Bin Nasser, now 76, also said he had no option but to award the first goal and recalled how Maradona gave him a signed shirt when they met again in 2015. On the second goal of the game, Bin Nasser told BBC Sport: "He took off from midfield, and I was shadowing him closely. When you're refereeing someone like Maradona, you can't take...

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1Dec By BobbyNo Comments

Sport

‘Balotelli would be like Maradona for us’ – Vasco da Gama election hopeful says

The 30-year-old has been without a club since leaving Brescia at the end of last season, and he now appears set for South America Mario Balotelli has reached an agreement to sign for Vasco da Gama, whose potential director of sport says the forward “would be like Maradona” for the Brazilian club’s fans. The former Manchester City, AC Milan and Liverpool forward, 30, has been without a club since leaving Brescia at the end of last season. Balotelli’s one-year deal with his hometown club was not renewed as Brescia were relegated from Serie A, but he had not played since March after reportedly missing training and falling out with the club’s hierarchy.

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27Nov By BobbyNo Comments

Sport

‘It was tough to pull that shirt on’ – Mertens struggling after Maradona’s passing as Napoli pay tribute

The Belgian attacker has also taken to social media to apologise for any comparisons that have been between the two Dries Mertens said it was "tough to pull that shirt on" after Napoli wore the famous number 10 shirt in honour of Diego Maradona prior to their Europa League win over Rijeka. Argentina and Napoli great Maradona – arguably football's greatest ever player – died of natural causes at the age of 60 on Wednesday. Napoli's first match since the passing of their most iconic star this week was played out to the noise of songs and fireworks despite the empty stands at the Stadio San Paolo, where Maradona guided the Italian team to unprecedented Scudetto success in 1987 and 1990.

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26Nov By dthataNo Comments

Sport

Maradona: Pele, Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi And Kanu and Others Lead Tributes

Pele, Cristiano Ronaldo, Marcus Rashford and Barcelona lead the tributes to 'legendary' Diego Maradona as the world of football mourns the passing of Argentine hero Diego Maradona has died from a heart attack in Argentina at the age of 60 It comes just three weeks after he had surgery on a blood clot in his brain His passing has left the world of football in mourning at loss of one of its icons Brazil legend Pele said he had 'lost a great friend' after Maradona's death Cristiano Ronaldo called the Argentina legend an 'eternal genius' on Instagram Former clubs including Napoli, Boca Juniors and Barca also paid tribute to him Tributes from the world of football have flooded in for Diego Maradona after he died at the age of 60. The football legend had a heart attack at his home ...

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26Nov By BobbyNo Comments

Sport

Diego Maradona’s last words before his death revealed as Argentina’s president orders three days of national mourning

On Wednesday November 25, the world was shocked by news of the death of former Barcelona, Napoli and Argentina playmaker, Diego Maradona.   He passed away at the age of 60 after reportedly suffering a heart attack in his native Argentina.   His final words before his death has now been revealed. According to the football legend's family, Maradona's last words before he died were: “I don’t feel well.”   According to his nephew, Johnny Esposito, Maradona complained he didn’t feel well after having breakfast on Wednesday and said he was going to lie down again.   Johnny described how Maradona had awoken in the morning looking pale and complaining of feeling cold.   He went back to bed after a quick breakfast where he is said to have pron...

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25Nov By dthataNo Comments

Sport

Maradona Is A god In Naples City, People Are Weeping Like Zombies In The Street

Maradona is a god in this city. People are walking around the streets like zombies, weeping at the news that Diego is dead. Diego Maradona died at the age of 60 on Wednesday after a cardiac arrest The Argentinian forward was revered as a football icon in the city of Naples. The city has fallen completely still following Wednesday's tragic news Fans are already flocking to the two Maradona murals in Napoli to pay respects For a moment, Naples closed its eyes full of tears on Wednesday afternoon. The city lost its patron saint for the second time. Diego Maradona is considered by all in Naples to be the greatest symbol of the city. As news filtered out about the Argentinian legend's death, church bells began to ring throughout the streets. The climate is surreal, especi...

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4Nov By dthataNo Comments

Sport

Maradona To Undergo Surgery For Blood Clot In Brain

Argentina legend Diego Maradona was admitted to hospital on Monday and had been said to be recovering well after being anaemic and dehydrated; The 1986 World Cup winner is widely considered to be one of the greatest players of all time Diego Maradona will undergo surgery for a subdural hematoma on Tuesday evening in Buenos Aires, the Argentina legend's doctor has confirmed. Maradona had been hospitalised since Monday night for anaemia and dehydration, though his condition had been improving, his personal doctor said earlier on Tuesday.

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9Aug By dthataNo Comments

Sport

‘Na Thunder Go Fire Una’ – Osimhen Blasts Punch Newspaper Over False Story

Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen who recently signed for Italian Serie A side Napoli, has taken to his twitter page to blast Punch Newspaper for fabricating a false story about him. Victor Osimhen joined Napoli from Lille last month for a record fee of €70 million which could potentially rise to €80 million. Following a false story by Punch Newspaper about him with the headline which read, "I want to emulate Maradona at Napoli", Victor Osimhen has now come out to debunk such news stating that he has not granted any interview since his father died in May 2020 and such stories were false. He warned Punch Newspaper against fabricating fake stories. Part of the post which was shared by Victor Osimhen on his twitter page read, "I never said such a thing, y’all copy paste journali...

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30Mar By BobbyNo Comments

Sport

Messi is greater than Maradona – Cassano

The Italian also believes his former Real Madrid team-mate Ronaldo was "a football god" but rates the Barcelona legend above him Lionel Messi has "ousted" Diego Maradona as Argentina's greatest number 10, according to former Italy international Antonio Cassano. Messi's consistency over such a long period has made him the finest player Argentina has produced according to Cassano, who has called for Maradona's fans to accept that the Barcelona talisman deserves to be recognised as the best. Cassano helped Real Madrid to the 2006-07 La Liga title at the expense of Barca and Messi, but that success in Spain has not altered his opinion on the forward. "Maradona did something never seen before for four or five years, but Messi has done the same things for 15 years," he said in an i...

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11Oct By Czar Owolabi MarcusNo Comments

Sport

Irony Of Life: Maradona, Pele & Platini

This has to go down as the most Ironic picture in history. A charity match was played in 1986 to promote fight against drugs and corruption. Diego Maradona in the picture wore the No to drugs jersey while Michel Platini wore say no to corruption jersey, while Pele stood in between them as the neutral party. In Future both players were found guilty of what they stood against; Maradona was banned from football in August 1994 for 15 months for drug abuse while Platini was banned from football for life in December 2015 on corruption charges. Pele remain neutral till date ?. Inside Life.

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26May By BobbyNo Comments

Sport

Lionel Messi Under Attack After Copa Del Rey Final Defeat To Valencia

Argentina legend, Mario Kempes has claimed that Barcelona captain, Lionel Messi has become “more selfish” than his eternal rival, Cristiano Ronaldo of Juventus. Kempes, a World Cup winner with Argentina in 1978, believes Messi has become more of an individual player in recent times at Barca, while Ronaldo is now more of a team player at Juve. “Messi is Messi and Messi is Barcelona,” Kempes told AS. “What you do or do not do is key. When Messi is on the field, prepare yourself, because you do not know at what moment he is going to mess you up. “But Messi should not surprise us. We have seen him do everything, although I think he has slowed down a bit and now I see him wanting to do more things on his own.” Kempes added: “Before I saw him as a team player, now I see him more self...

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24Jan By dthataNo Comments

Entertainment

‘Maradona’ Changed My Life – Niniola Apata

Nigerian singer, Niniola Apata, says her hit song, ‘Maradona’, changed her life and represents a radical turning point in her music career. She made the disclosure in an interview on Off -The-Top reality show where the she narrated her emergence in the music industry. “Preparation meets opportunity,” Niniola said, when asked about her romance with the Afro-house genre. “To be honest. It just happened”, she added. “It’s the grace of God but as they say, when hard work and preparation meets opportunity, it just happens. After Project Fame, I just wanted to prove myself. I knew I could sing but I just wanted more. I loved to dance and wanted to incorporate these two things. “I didn’t know anybody in the industry. So, I went online in search for the best producer in Nigeria. This w...

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13Jan By BobbyNo Comments

Sport

Maradona Operated Successfully, Remains Hospitalized

The legend of Argentine football Diego Maradona, new coach of the Mexican club Dorado Sinaloa, in a press conference on September 10, 2018 in Culiacán The legend of Argentine football Diego Maradona was successfully operated on Saturday and was to remain in the clinic in Buenos Aires where this surgery was planned, announced his lawyer Matias Morla. “The surgery on Diego Maradona is over, thanks to God everything went well”, tweeted the lawyer, without specifying what type of operation it was. Clinic sources quoted by the local press suggest an umbilical hernia (a kind of bulge in the belly button). Maradona (58) is expected to remain hospitalized at least until Sunday afternoon, according to the same sources. The coach completed a medical e...

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5Jul By Czar Owolabi MarcusNo Comments

Sport

FIFA Condemns Maradona Over ‘Robbery’ Comments

FIFA strongly rebuked Argentina great Diego Maradona’s comments that England’s win over Colombia was a robbery and that referee Mark Geiger was not up to the task. “Following comments made by Diego Armando Maradona…FIFA strongly rebukes the criticism of the performance of the match officials which it considers to have been positive in a tough and highly emotional match,” said the global soccer body in a statement. FIFA said it was “doing everything within its power to ensure principles of fair play, integrity and respect are at the forefront of this World Cup and how the organisation is now run.” In that context, FIFA said it was “extremely sorry to read such declarations from a player who has written the history of our game.” England won the round of 16 match on penalties follow...

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1Nov By Czar Owolabi MarcusNo Comments

Entertainment

You Need Money To Make It In The Nigerian Music Industry – Niniola

Singer Niniola, is steadily climbing to the number 1 spot in the music industry and we dare say she sure deserves that spot. In a chat with Factory78, the singer who just released her debut album said for anyone to make it in the industry, such a person must have enough money to invest in their career. In 2013 I went for a competition and I became the third runner-up and I got my prize money. With the prize money I invested in my career. I sought out one of the best producer Sarz and told him I wanted a hit song and that’s when I met my manager. “When you’re not in the music industry on the outside, you think talent would take you places but it’s not. My manager told me ‘you need funds to promote and print CD jackets’. “It’s a very capital intensive industry and so as an upc...

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24Oct By raymonNo Comments

Sport

How Good Was Lineker? Four Vs Spain, Hat-Trick Vs Real Madrid

After the match against Tottenham, with Benzema playing in a position that Lineker knows well, the former England player questioned the No.9's ability. "Is it me or is Benzema overrated?" Lineker asked on his Twitter account. "A goal every other game in a team as strong as Real Madrid is nothing special." After such critique, it's time to analyse Lineker's own scoring prowess. The ex-striker scored 281 goals in 567 matches throughout his professional career with Leicester, Everton, Barcelona, Tottenham and Nagoya. He also netted 48 goals for England in 80 international matches; an average of 0.49 goals per game. Among his best performances are the poker he scored against Spain in a friendly in February 1987 at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, and a hat-trick against Real Madrid in the ...

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4Oct By raymonNo Comments

Sport

Argentina Face Must-Win World Cup 2018 Qualifier Against Peru

We've been here before. In 1969 and 1985 too, these two nations faced one another with a World Cup place on the line, while in 2009 Argentina had to overcome Peru to secure their spot. But the historical aspect is just one of a number of intriguing sub-plots around Thursday night's match at La Bombonera, the cacophonous home of Boca Juniors Qualifying hasn't gone at all to plan for Argentina, who find themselves in fifth position with two matches of the lengthy and often arduous South American qualifying process to play. This would put them into a two-legged Inter-Confederation play-off with New Zealand in November to book their trip to Russia. Argentina are locked together on 24 points with Peru, who occupy the fourth automatic qualification spot, and trail their opponents thi...

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4Oct By raymonNo Comments

Sport

I Don’t Feel Tired, Napoli Forward Mertens Claims Ahead Of International Break

Sarri revealed he had tried to contact Belgium boss Roberto Martinez about not playing Mertens, given the Red Devils had already qualified for the World Cup next summer and Arkadiusz Milik’s recent ACL injury. Nonetheless, the 30-year-old told La Repubblica: “I understand [his concerns] as we’ve been playing every three days and we’ve already suffered injuries. “However, I don’t feel tired: I was able to rest in the past, when I was on the bench for Belgium as well. “Centre-forward in Lukaku’s absence? We’ll see. The CT, Roberto Martinez, will decide, but I’m available to him. “My transformation? I’ve changed a lot as a player. I think I’ve got better and I can still improve further. “Scudetto? We can do great things, but there are so many teams competing, so it won’t be easy. “We ha...

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3Oct By raymonNo Comments

Sport

Fabio Cannavaro Pays Tribute To Napoli Captain Marek Hamsik

The Slovakian international needs just one goal to break Diego Maradona’s all-time scoring record for the Partenopei, with both tied on 115. “Marek is a professional and an exceptional lad,” Cannavaro told reporters, speaking at a presentation for the Stadio Collana redevelopment project. “He’s an atypical defender, because he gets almost as many goals as a striker. Maradona’s record is a milestone he deserves for the professionalism he’s demonstrated over these years. “It’s normal that the comparisons don’t stand up, but Marek has established himself in silence over these years, even when he wasn’t treated well. “He’s always worked and given the maximum. At the end of a career, the numbers speak for you and Marek’s are very good.”

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22Sep By Czar Owolabi MarcusNo Comments

Sport

‘I’M NOT MESSI OR MARADONA, I’M JUST DRIES’ – MERTENS DISMISSES COMPARISONS AFTER NAPOLI STUNNER

Napoli star Dries Mertens says he should not be compared to Diego Maradona following his wonder strike against Lazio on Wednesday. The Belgium international scored a spectacular long-range lob from a tight angle to help his side come from behind to win 4-1 in at the Stadio Olimpico. The goal, which helped Napoli maintain their 100 per cent start in Serie A, has been compared by some to a Maradona strike against the same opposition back in 1985. Mertens, however, says he should not be likened to the Argentina great. "I saw the ball there and I thought of the shot," he told Mediaset Premium . "I am very happy with this goal but the most important thing was to win the game. "Mine was further out, so I get extra credit! I turned around, saw the goalkeeper was getting slowly back to his li...

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5Sep By Czar Owolabi MarcusNo Comments

Sport

Maradona Hits Out At Icardi: He Is In The National Team Because Of Zanetti

The Inter striker was called-up by Coach Jorge Sampaoli at the expense of Gonzalo Higuain, but he completed just four passes in the 0-0 draw with Uruguay.“When I look at the Argentina team today I’m worried,” Maradona told DirecTV Sports.“I think there are better players than this man [Sampaoli] picks. Not calling Higuain means letting go of an incredible opportunity, especially if you replace him with Icardi and think you’re finding the new [Gabriel] Batistuta.“Icardi is in the national team because Zanetti acted as his representative.“One day I spoke to Edgardo Bauza, he told me he’d received three calls from Wanda Nara [Icardi’s wife and agent].“He was saying ‘How did you get my number?’, he was stunned.”

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20Jun By Czar Owolabi Marcus1 Comment

Sport

Dani Alves Is An Idiot – Maradona

Diego Maradona has slammed Dani Alves after the Juventus full-back criticised the Hand of God, insisting the defender is an “idiot”. Maradona helped Argentina to World Cup glory in 1986, as he palmed the ball past Peter Shilton in his country’s 2-1 quarter-final victory over England. Maradona also scored one of the best goals in history in the same game, as he dribbled past five players before scoring, but Alves insisted recently that the iconic star – who lifted the World Cup in ’86 – cannot be seen as a role model. “You want to compare Messi to Maradona? You can’t compare them,” Alves told Brazilian channel Canais Esporte Interativo. “I would not be proud to say that I won a World Cup with a ‘Hand of God.’ I wouldn’t be able to tell my son that I won a World Cup like this wit...

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11May By Czar Owolabi MarcusNo Comments

Sport

Okocha, Maradona And Amaju Pinnick Pictured Together

Ex-captain of the Super Eagles, Austin Jay Jay Okocha was pictured with football legend, Diego Maradona alongside NFF President, Amaju Pinnick at a novelty match in the city of Bahrain.

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15Feb By Czar Owolabi MarcusNo Comments

Celebs, News, Sport

Maradona, Messi, Kanu Nwankwo To Play Anti-terrorism Match In Nigeria

Maradona, Messi, Kanu to Play Anti-terrorism Match in Nigeria Argentina football legends, Diego Amando Maradona and Lionel Messi are among a host of former and active football stars scheduled to play an international exhibition match against human trafficking, insurgency and terrorism. The match is listed for May 21 in Abuja. The FIFA and Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) sanctioned initiative tagged: Africa My Africa is organised by next2none, a non-profit making organisation to use football to promote global security and fight human trafficking. The novelty match between Africa Stars Vs World Stars will feature household names including Zinedine Zidane, Ruud Gullit, Ronaldinho, George Weah, Samuel Kuffour, Samuel Eto’o, Abedi Pele, Nwankwo Kanu, Austin Jay Jay Okocha, Thierry Hen...

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14Feb By Czar Owolabi Marcus1 Comment

Sport

Ronaldo, Messi, Zidane Set To Storm Abuja

Current world's best player Cristiano Ronaldo and his arch rival Lionel Messi, Zidane, Maradona and a host of former and active football stars will play an international exhibition match aimed at campaigning against human trafficking, insurgency and terrorism on May 21 in Abuja. The international novelty football match according to reports is being organized by Next2None Support Initiative with the theme; Africa My Africa.. Arsenal legend Thierry Henry, former African and World footballer of the year, George Opone Weah, former African footballer of the year, Nwankwo Kanu and Ex Super Eagles captain, Austin Jay Jay Okocha and others are also expected to be part of the match.

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20Jul By Czar Owolabi MarcusNo Comments

Sport

Jose Mourinho snubs Cristiano Ronaldo List His Top 3 Players of All Time

Jose Mourinho has picked his top three players of all time and has left out compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo. The manager picked Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona and Pele as his top three. When asked to pick, Mourinho said (via Daily Express): “For me the top three players in history are Messi, Pele and Maradona.” Since then, the statement has gone viral on Twitter and even Mourinho’s son retweeted the quote too.

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