ONLY DIEGO!
WHEN Diego Maradona was the guest speaker at Oxford University Student Union in 1995, his great friend Ossie Ardiles was the interpreter.
But it was not anything that Maradona said on the night that his former Argentina team-mate remembers now.
Hours after news of Maradona’s death, Ardiles is emotional, but this story causes him to smile.
‘Here was Diego, on the stage where Nelson Mandela and Ronald Reagan had stood. Suddenly, one guy shouts, “Can you do keepie-uppies with this?”, and he throws a golf ball towards us.
‘I’m thinking, “Oh no, he’s wearing a suit and brand new shoes, this will be difficult”. Diego pulls his trousers up and starts keeping the ball up. Boom, boom, boom. Easy.
‘ He then kicks it back to the guy with his heel. It was incredible. Only Diego.’
The Union erupted in cheers. Such hysteria was the norm around Maradona and it feels poignant when Ardiles says: ‘Our conversations always finished in the same way — it was very beautiful to be Maradona, but it was not easy to be Maradona.
‘ When you were with him, because he was such an icon, you were always surrounded by people. Thing always happened, exciting things. I loved him, absolutely loved him. He was incredibly sharp, very funny. He had an answer to whatever you said.
‘But he had so many problems outside the pitch his entire life. Inside the pitch, he was the happiest person in the world. He didn’t need to work, but the best thing for him was to be involved in football. Because of the pandemic, there has been no football in Argentina for six months. That did not help. He had been ill and he deteriorated badly. I am very sad, but now he is in a place where he will find peace.’
Does Ardiles think Maradona was the greatest player? ‘Diego was unique, that is the word. He was extraordinary, out of this world. He had feet like hands. I was blessed to play with the world’s best players, but he was the greatest.
‘What made him so special was his courage. It was always hostile for him, always a marked man. But he always wanted the ball. They kicked him — he wanted the ball even more. He was a winner. And I know, I played him at tennis! He just could not lose.’
Ardiles brought Maradona to White Hart Lane for his testimonial (above) one month before he won the 1986 World Cup.
‘Argentina played a friendly in Norway and Diego said to Carlos Bilardo, the manager, “By the way, I’m going to London for Ossie”. Bilardo said, “What? You are joking, you’re not going!” “No, I’m Diego Maradona, I’m going”. For him to come, wear a Spurs shirt and play that game for me, it was very special.’
They last saw each other in 2017 when Ardiles acted as interpreter with Maradona guest of honour ahead of Spurs’ 4-1 victory over Liverpool at Wembley.
‘We went into the dressing room and he gave some advice to Harry Kane. I was translating, “Harry, when you shoot, look one way with your eyes, but shoot the other”. But the way Diego talks, so passionate, so funny. Harry loved it.’
Kane responded with two goals.
‘Diego was an inspirational person,’ says Ardiles. ‘He had a magic around him, on the pitch and off it. Special, so special. I am blessed to have been his friend.’
Ossie Ardiles was speaking to CRAIG HOPE