Twenty-five years since Maradona’s last game

This Tuesday, October 25, is no ordinary day. Today marks 25 years since Diego Armando Maradona retired as a footballer. This is, without a doubt, the fate, in a River-Boca. Saturday October 25, 1997 at Monumental. But at the time, when Maradona put on his boots to jump onto the pitch, he didn’t know it was his farewell game.

Maradona only played in the first part of that Superclásico, but in the end he was back on the field to celebrate the victory of his Boca (1-2). Just five days later and coinciding with his 37th birthday (and perhaps with rumors that he had tested positive for anti-doping), Maradona announced his retirement: “I can’t do it anymore. That way it doesn’t make sense for me to continue playing. I’d rather retire now and not pay with my old life for the rumors of some unconscious people with a microphone. In all the pain in my soul, the time has come to announce my retirement The soccer player is done. No one is sadder than me.”

And yes, he didn’t come back, it was Maradona’s farewell as a player. He lost 91 games in Argentina, between 1977 and 1994, with 34 goals scored. At the national team level, the legend of the albiceleste, whose death is two years on November 25, was declared world champion in Mexico 1986, runner-up in Italy in 1990 and winner of the Youth World Cup in 1979. Throughout the career he, the legend of Argentina played 724 games and scored 358 goals.

At club level, Maradona defended the jerseys of Argentinos Juniors, Boca, Barcelona, ​​​​​​​​​​​Napoli, Sevilla, Napoli and again Boca. He conquered a Metropolitan with Boca; a Copa del Rey, a League Cup and a Spanish Super Cup with Barcelona; and two Series A, one Coppa Italia, one UEFA Cup and one Italian Super Cup with Napoli.

But let’s go back to that Saturday just 25 years ago at Monumental. The witnesses of that River-Boca believe that Maradona did not play well, but not badly either. His beloved team scored the goal of former Boquense Sergio Berti thanks to goals from Julio César Toresani and Martín Palermo.

It was Claudio Caniggia, not Juan Román Riquelme as is sometimes claimed, who calmed Maradona when ‘Pibe’ retired after the first half. The fans don’t know it, but Diego will never play again as a professional footballer.