Paris (AFP)
Argentinian Diego Maradona, who celebrates his sixtieth birthday on Friday, explains in an interview with France Football that his "greatest pride" is "to have brought happiness to people with a ball".
"I have the feeling of having given pleasure and amused the people who came to see me at the stadium and who watched me on television", summarizes one of the greatest players in the history of football but also one most controversial.
The current coach of Argentina's first division club Gimnasia y Esgrima is in preventive solitary confinement for having been in contact with a person showing symptoms of Covid-19, his personal doctor announced on Tuesday.
This pandemic "is a real blow for all the peoples of Latin America", according to him.
The French weekly released on Wednesday a special number dedicated to "Pibe de Oro", including what is presented as the first interview in 25 years granted by the legendary number ten to the French press, obtained without paying remuneration.
"I dream of being able to score another goal for the English, with the right hand this time," Maradona replies when asked about his dream birthday present as he prepares to blow out sixty candles.
A reference to the goal scored with the left hand against England in the quarter-final of the World Cup-86, during a victory (2-1) which forged his legend.
Among the active players, Maradona believes that his compatriot Lionel Messi and Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo "are a cut above the rest".
"Not one does half of what they do," he says.
Regarding the French prodigy Kylian Mbappé, "he's a fantastic player, but he's still a kid!", Also judges the former idol of Naples.
"He must especially pay attention to defenders who can slaughter his ankle," he warns the star of PSG and the France team.
© 2020 AFP