United saddened by the death of Maradona
Manchester United is sad to learn that football icon Diego Maradona has died aged 60.
The Argentina legend was regarded as one of the greatest players of all time - if not the best - and he famously inspired his country to World Cup glory in 1986 as captain.
In total, Maradona scored 34 goals in 91 appearances for his beloved homeland and represented them in four World Cups as a player – plus one as manager.
Maradona achieved success at club level and perhaps most notably with Napoli, winning their first Serie A title in 1987 and a second in 1990, plus an Italian Cup in 1987 and UEFA Cup in 1991.
Of course, United fans remember Maradona from the 1984 European Cup Winners’ Cup third-round ties against Barcelona and one of the greatest games – and atmospheres - in Old Trafford history.
Following a 2-0 defeat at Nou Camp, Ron Atkinson’s Reds won 3-0 at an electric Theatre of Dreams and club captain Bryan Robson produced one of his best-ever performances that night.
Reacting to the sad news of Maradona’s passing, Robson said:
“What a player he was - undoubtedly the best of his era and up there with the likes of Pele among the greatest ever.
“He won the 1986 World Cup for Argentina more or less on his own. The football he played and the goals he scored in that tournament were unbelievable.
“He went past five players to score against England in the quarter-final and then did exactly the same against Belgium in the semi-final.
“He was a real character too. I played with him in quite a few charity games and he was a great person to be around.
“Of course, we met in 1984 as well. It was a great evening for us and people still talk about it 36 years later.
“To come back from 2-0 down against Barcelona is a great result at any time, but to do it against a team containing Maradona and Bernd Schuster made it even more special.
“It’s a sad day for football but he leaves us with some fantastic memories.”