• Montiel's good star: two penalties to decide a World Cup and a European title
  • Mendilibar: "To have touched myself in a tombola, it's not bad. If I don't renew I will leave friends."

"This Cup is also from Diego who encouraged us from heaven," Lionel Messi wrote on his Instagram account an emotional letter of tribute to Diego Armando Maradona shortly after winning the World Cup in Qatar last December. The only appointment that 'La Pulga' lacked and the one that equaled his idol of youth.

"Maradona is always close to the team," said Luciano Spaletti, coach of Napoli after winning the first scudetto of the Italian team in 33 years. The previous one, of course, was conquered with the 10 at the controls. And, since then, the desert.

On Wednesday, in the stands of Budapest, a Sevilla fan raised a banner of Diego with a halo of saint and a background like a cathedral stained glass. Six of his compatriots wore the Sevilla colours, which Diego once wore and, like him, celebrated the Europa League title.

One of them, Montiel, was also responsible for transforming the winning penalties that gave the title to both Argentina and Sevilla. This time Messi's prayer in which he "asked Maradona for help from heaven" seconds before the last shot in Qatar's penalty shootout against France was not needed.

This season, the main teams in which Maradona played have won a title. Boca Juniors, Napoli and Barcelona have won their domestic leagues, Argentina with the World Cup and Sevilla, with the Europa League.

Perhaps, Barcelona, Boca Juniors and Sevilla, are the teams in which obtaining a title is more common. After all, the Barça team has won LaLiga 27 times, Boca Juniors 35 times and Sevilla is the king of the Europa League.

The team coached by Mendilibar has won all the finals it has played and is the team with the most titles in the second continental competition. He has seven wins and is followed by Inter Milan, Juventus, Liverpool and Atletico Madrid with three.

Maradona career

Maradona, who on November 25 will be three years since his death, played 188 games with Napoli with which he won two leagues, a cup, a super cup and a Europa League. With Boca Juniors he won a League and with Barcelona, a Copa del Rey, a League Cup and a Super Cup and with the national team he has won a World Cup and a Champions Cup.

Sevilla did not arrive at his best. It was 1992 and he had just finished a 15-month doping suspension. His stay in Seville, in that team trained by Bilardo, would be remembered more for his nights out than for his performance in the field. He barely spent a season in the Andalusian capital.

Months before his death, the Argentine star shared confidences between mates with some friends at his residence in Brandsen (Argentina). He talked about Naples and the madness that was experienced when they won those titles. However, after that confidence, he concluded: "What I felt when we were world champions I never lived again." Well, this year he won three leagues, a Europa League and a World Cup, although everything is from heaven.

  • Sevilla FC
  • Diego Maradona
  • FC Barcelona
  • Argentina national football team

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