RIYADH: Saudi fans of Diego Maradona, arguably the greatest footballer of all time, have special memories of watching him play when he pulled on an Al-Ahli jersey for a match in Jeddah in 1987.
The Argentine star came to the Kingdom to play as a guest when Al-Ahli celebrated its 50th anniversary with a friendly match against Danish side Brondby. Those who were lucky enough to be in the crowd and see him in action were surely left in no doubt he was the best player the world has ever seen.
Legendary Diego Maradona played an exhibition match for Al-Ahli in Jeddah in 1987. (X)
One of those fans, Gharman Al-Ghamdi, told Arab News: “It was indeed a great moment for us to see Maradona, the greatest footballer, play in our backyard on the special occasion of our club celebrating its 50th anniversary.
“It was an amazing feeling. It is an indescribable feeling when you see the best player in the world representing your team. Of course this could not (often) happen in the world at that time, when the means of communication and television channels were not of the same quality and abundance as these days.
“And imagine, almost 40 years ago, having this feeling, because Al-Ahli has been a big club for a long time now. Two years ago, (more) Saudi football fans started to feel what it feels like when a world star represents their team, like Al-Nassr now with Cristiano Ronaldo and Al-Ittihad with Karim Benzema.”
Legendary Diego Maradona played an exhibition match for Al-Ahli in Jeddah in 1987. (X)
Almost 40 years later, Al-Ghamdi still has clear memories of the game in which, energized by the presence of their superstar guest, Al-Ahli recorded a convincing 5-2 victory over their European opponents.
“On that fateful night in 1987, Al-Ahli played a great match, knowing that (members of their) main team (were) in the national team camp and were not allowed to participate in that match, in which Maradona scored two goals, Amin Dabo scored two goals and Bandar Surour scored one goal,” he said.
Maradona’s first was an extravagant lob over the Brondby goalkeeper. His second was an effortless flick that sent the crowd in the packed stadium wild.
If the Saudi fans were elated, Maradona’s bosses at Napoli, his club at the time, were less thrilled, afraid that their prize asset might suffer an injury. But Maradona, famed for always playing by his own rules, went ahead with the match regardless.
Legendary Diego Maradona played an exhibition match for Al-Ahli in Jeddah in 1987. (X)
Born in 1960 and raised in a shanty town on the outskirts of Argentina’s capital, Buenos Aires, Maradona made his World Cup finals debut in Spain in 1982.
He then led Argentina to victory at the 1986 finals in Mexico, when he was at the peak of his form. His performances during the competition ensured he would forever be considered national hero and a global football superstar.
Most memorably, Maradona scored both of his team’s goals in an unforgettable 2-1 quarter-final victory over England. The first goal proved particularly controversial, as replays clearly showed the player had punched the ball into the net. The referee missed this, however, and Maradona later described the incident as ‘the hand of God.’ He went on to score a second, after dribbling past almost the entire England team, which is regarded as one of the greatest World Cup goals of all time.
Gharman Al Ghamdi, a Maradona fan, who watched his icon play the match for Al-Ahli in Jeddah in 1987, with his entry ticket. (Supplied to AN Gharman Al Ghamdi)
Mahfooz Shaikh, another long-time Maradona fan, told Arab News: “The Argentine superstar, with his magical ability on the ground, built a legendary status for himself. He attained global fame and status as one of the greatest players the game has ever seen after the 1986 World Cup. It could be argued that he single-handedly carried that Argentina side to World Cup glory.”
Mexico ’86 was the stage on which Maradona showed the world there was finally a worthy challenger for Pele’s throne as the greatest footballer of all time, Shaikh added.
