Daily Mirror

HOW MARADONA GOT AWAY

- BY MIKE WALTERS

OSSIE ARDILES and Ricky Villa were at the vanguard of an Argentine contingent that landed on these shores 40 years ago – but one hesitant English club missed out on signing the great Diego Maradona.

Tottenham boss Keith Burkinshaw, tipped off by Sheffield United manager Harry Haslam that Ardiles was open to joining Spurs, sealed the deal in Buenos Aires within days of the World Cup final in 1978.

Haslam was already in the Argentine capital, trying to thrash out a deal for 17-year-old boy wonder Maradona (right, with Ardiles last year).

But the Blades would not match the £400,000 asking price for the boy who became arguably the greatest player ever, and Haslam came home instead with River Plate midfielder Alex Sabella, who later moved to Leeds.

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