CELEBRITY
BBC RECALLS MARADONA’S LAST GAME…IT WAS AGAINST NIGERIA
One of the most famous – and most important – maxims in theatre is to always leave the crowd wanting more.
And as one of the most theatrical footballers to have played international football, Diego Maradona certainly did that – albeit not through choice.
That Maradona left the World Cup at USA ’94 after failing a drugs test is well-remembered – allied, albeit mistakenly, to his wide-eyed celebration having scored against Greece in a group game.
Popular memory joins the drugs test with that celebration and thinks they were the same match. But in actual fact, it was after Argentina’s next game, against Nigeria in Boston, that Maradona failed his test.
And it was a game in which he had shown he was still at the absolute peak of his powers – at least in a blue-and-white shirt. The unanswered question, of course, is how much of that was down to drugs.
The subtle trick
Although his club career had begun to peter out – he had spent a season ineffectively at Sevilla in 1992/93 before heading back to Newell’s Old Boys in Argentina – Maradona had always been able to raise his game for his national team.
And against Nigeria in Group D on 25 June 1994, he was so good there was talk of him inspiring them to their third successive World Cup final.
First, however, there was a big shock to deal with: Nigeria had gone ahead after just eight minutes.
It was through a fast break that was absolutely typical of the Super Eagles at the time.
Aptly, Rashidi Yekini showed Maradona-esque skill to dummy his way through two Argentina midfielders at once before setting up Samson Siasia. Siasia had all the time in the world to chip Luis Islas; the Argentina goalkeeper was so far out of his goal he had crossed an international date line.
Briefly, it looked like it could be the second time in two World Cups that Argentina had been bested by African opposition, after their 1-0 defeat to Cameroon that opened Italia ’90 – still one of the greatest shocks in the history of the tournament.
But it was not to be. And, typically, that was mostly down to Maradona.
The equaliser especially featured an under-remembered trick so subtle, so deft, it showed the very apex of what Maradona was about.
On 21 minutes, Argentina had won a free-kick around 25 metres from goal – a dangerous position, but not undefendable.
As Nigeria set up their wall, both Maradona and Gabriel Batistuta – himself already proving to be one of the greatest strikers in Serie A, and therefore Europe, at the time – stood at equal distance from the ball; Batistuta to the left, Maradona to the right.
Both were renowned dead-ball specialists, so the Nigeria wall was wary. Both had given themselves plenty of run-up, indicating a powerful shot was due.
As the referee’s whistle blew, it was Maradona who moved first. Expecting the ball to come flying in via Maradona’s left foot, the Nigeria wall moved right.
But instead, Maradona deftly, gracefully – with the precision of a ballerina landing on the tip of their toes – flicked the ball backwards, to the exact blade of grass Batistuta was running towards.
His dummy had done its work. Batistuta’s shot thundered in through the empty space from where Nigeria’s wall had shifted.
Nigeria’s goalkeeper Peter Rufai did well to get to down to it, but he only palmed it to the feet of Claudio Caniggia, who smashed it in.
‘Freedom of Massachusetts’
Seven minutes later, Argentina went ahead – again set up by a Maradona free kick.
If the first one had been all about skill, the second was all about cunning.
Maradona had the ball in midfield and almost idly played it towards Caniggia – but, before the striker could do anything with it, the referee signalled for a free-kick back where Maradona had passed from.
Maradona theatrically grabbed the ball, put it down, held up his hands. He made a gesture waving all his fingers in the air. To all the world – and certainly to all the Nigeria players – it looked like he was planning something extravagant that they would need to prepare for.
But instead he suddenly dinked the ball forward to where Caniggia had been waiting, furiously yelling “Diego! Diego!”
The Nigeria defence was caught completely cold. They’d been expecting a long delay while Maradona thought out a way through their defences – but instead he and Caniggia, who gleefully stroked home his second, had just walked through the front door.
“Caniggia was given the freedom of Massachusetts there” said John Motson on BBC commentary. He was right, but it was Maradona who had handed him the keys to the state.
No way back
Though the game would continue to flow for most of the match, and be one of the most entertaining of the entire tournament, there were no more goals.
And – though no-one knew it at the time – there would be no more for Maradona at all in an Argentina shirt.
Shortly afterwards, news came through that he had tested positive for drugs use in the Nigeria match.
But it was his reaction to scoring in the previous match against Greece – wide-eyed, staring right down the barrel of the touchline camera – that suddenly defined him. Yes of course he was on something, TV viewers said – he just looked like it. He had been banned for cocaine use before.
Without their inspirational captain, the team that had reached the last two finals of the World Cup went out to Romania in the last 16.
Would Maradona have been so good against Nigeria if he had not taken ephedrine? It’s impossible to know. It did not materially affect the World Cup, as other results meant Nigeria topped the group anyway.
Though Maradona later contested the drug test, saying it had been caused by a difference in ingredients between a brand of drink in Argentina and the US, it was to no avail.
He was out of the blue-and-white stripes, and would not be back.
-BBC
Diego Maradona’s death “would have been avoided” if the medical team around him had done their job, his daughter Dalma accused on Tuesday at the trial of health professionals of the circumstances of the death of the Argentine football idol
Dalma, 38, the elder of Maradona’s two daughters with his ex-wife Claudia Villafañe, was a star witness on the 11th day of the trial in San Isidro (north of Buenos Aires). And like others since the start of the trial, she blamed the caregivers of her father’s final weeks and the framework of his convalescence.
” If they had done their job, (his death) would have been avoided,” Dalma said, referring to the medical team and in particular to three of the accused: attending physician and neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque, psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov and psychologist Carlos Diaz.
” They deceived us (the family) in the most cruel way (…) They made us believe that the only possible option was to convalesce at home after his operation, in a house that was rented for the occasion in Tigre (north of Buenos Aires),” Dalma said.
According to them, ” it would be a serious home hospitalisation,” Diego would have everything like in a clinic, but in a house,” with 24/7 medical attention, medical equipment, an ambulance at the door permanently, she continued.
” It never happened,” she said in a statement often interrupted by tears. In this “disgusting, piss-smelling ” house, a doctor only came to see him from time to time.”
Maradona died at the age of 60 on November 25, 2020, from a cardiorespiratory crisis complicated by pulmonary oedema, in this private residence, where he had been convalescing for two weeks after neurosurgery for a head hematoma.
Seven practitioners – doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses – are accused of “homicide with possible intent”, characterised when a person commits negligence while knowing that it can lead to death.
Mr. Luque, who was close to Maradona, ” was his primary care physician, and I didn’t think he was recommending something that wouldn’t be best for my father,” Dalma continued.
With his sister Gianinna ” we didn’t have much influence, we could say what we thought but didn’t decide anything .” Sometimes someone from the care team or from the entourage would say “that Dad was sleeping, sometimes that he didn’t want to see anyone,” that the best thing was not to disturb him. “
” In hindsight, we should have decided.”
Last Tuesday, Veronica Ojeda, ex-partner and mother of Maradona’s son born in 2013, testified that the star’s close entourage “kept him as if he were sequestered” in the last months of his life.
The practitioners on trial, who deny any responsibility for the death, are seeking sentences of 8 to 25 years in prison. The trial is expected to last until July, with one or two hearings per week.
–Le360 (with AFP)
Mexican referee Marco Antonio Ortiz Nava found out the hard way that there are consequences for seeking an autograph from eight-time Ballon d’Or winner and World Cup winner Lionel Messi — he was hit with a CONCACAF disciplinary sanction.
As the final whistle blew on Inter Miami’s 1-0 Champions Cup win over Sporting Kansas City, secured by a brilliant second-half goal from Messi, the referee known as ‘El Gato’ approached the Argentina international.
He appeared to be asking for the striker’s shirt to join the Messi-mania, but it turned out he was actually requesting an autograph for a relative with special needs.
Despite the heartfelt request, Ortiz’s actions did not comply with CONCACAF’s code of conduct for officials.
“Upon investigation, CONCACAF has learned that the referee approached the player to request an autograph for a family member with special needs,” the North American football governing body said in a statement to ESPN.
Although the exact nature of the disciplinary action was not disclosed, CONCACAF added that Ortiz accepted full responsibility for his actions and apologised for his breach of protocol.
The first leg of the premier continental tournament for clubs from North America, Central America and the Caribbean was initially postponed due to a winter storm warning in the area.
Inter Miami will host Sporting in the return leg at Chase Stadium on Tuesday.
“The referee’s actions were not in accordance with the confederation’s code of conduct for match officials and the procedures in place for these types of requests.”
Reuters
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The world’s top athletes don’t just dominate on the field—they lead the way financially, too.
From football icons to basketball superstars, these elite performers are earning staggering sums through salaries, endorsements, and off-field ventures.
Using data from Sportico, sportsunlimitednews breaks down the top 10 highest-paid athletes globally.
10. Jon Rahm
On December 2023, Jon Rahm announced he was joining LIV Golf after a very successful stint at the PGA, earning 11 PGA Tour wins since joining in 2016. Now signed under LIV Golf, the Spaniard is considered one of the best-paid athletes in the world, accumulating $85.6 (€82.3/£68.55) million in winnings and $20 (€19.2/£16) million on endorsement deals
9. Kylian Mbappe
Following his massive transfer to Real Madrid in 2024, Kylian Mbappe is now ranked the 9th highest-paid athlete in the world. The French forward earns $85 (€81.6/£68.9) million in salary and $25 (€24/£20) million in endorsements, totalling $110 (€105/£88) million—a ‘galactico’ price tag for one of the best players in the world.
8. Karim Benzema
Another former Real Madrid star, Karim Benzema is ranked amongst the top ten best-paid athletes in the world following his move to Al-Ittihad (Saudi Arabia). The French striker earns $108 (€103/£86.4) million alongside $8 (€7.6/£6.4) million in endorsements.
7. Oleksandr Usyk
Up next, we have an undisputed heavyweight champion, who took down Tyson Fury for a second time in 2024. Oleksandr Usyk is arguably one of the best fighters in the world right now, and his earnings reflect that. The Ukrainian makes an average of $120 (€115/£96) million in winnings alongside $2 (€1.9/£1.6) million on endorsements, standing on $122 (€117/£97.7) million.
6. Neymar Jr.
Neymar Jr. is in the final stages of his professional football career. The former Barcelona and PSG man has enjoyed a successful stint across multiple teams around the world. Now in Santos FC, the Brazilian star is still considered one of the highest-paid players in the world, earning a $108 (€103/£82) million salary and $25 (€24/£20) million in endorsements.
5. LeBron James
The Los Angeles Lakers veteran and NBA star is ranked fifth in the world following his jaw-dropping $85 (€81.6/£68.3) million endorsement deals with Coca-Cola and PepsiCo. Alongside his endorsements, he cashes in a salary of $48.2 (€46.3/£38.6) million a year.
4. Lionel Messi
The Inter Miami star has one of the most lucrative contracts in world football. The Argentinian forward earns $60 (€57.6/£48) million a year, alongside $75 (€72/£60) million on endorsement deals. He is linked to Louis Vuitton, Mastercard and Pepsi.
3. Tyson Fury
The ‘Gypsie King’ is ranked third in the world, despite his recent losses and retirement announcement in late 2024. Fury cashed in $140 (€134.4/£112) million in winnings alongside $7 (€6.7/£5.6) million in endorsement deals, a very fruitful 2024 for the former British heavyweight champ.
2. Stephen Curry
Stephen Curry can still boast of having the highest-paying salary in the NBA for the eighth straight year. According to ESPN, his Golden State deal is worth around $55 (€52/£41.2) million this season. On top of that, the American point guard earns $100 (€95/£79.9) million in endorsements.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo still ranks at the top as the best-paid athlete in the world. The Al-Nassr star earns a jaw-dropping $215 (€206/£171.9) million salary, alongside $45 (€43.1/£35.9) in endorsements from Armani, Herbalife, TAG Heuer, and Clear Shampoo.
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