"When Diego came to Argentinos Juniors for trials, I was
really struck by his talent and couldn't believe he was only
eight years old. In fact, we asked him for his ID card so we could
check it, but he told us he didn't have it on him. We were sure
he was having us on because, although he had the physique of a
child, he played like an adult. When we discovered he'd been
telling us the truth, we decided to devote ourselves purely to
him."
Francisco Cornejo, the youth coach who discovered Diego
Maradona
"Diego was capable of things no one else could match. The
things I could do with a football, he could do with an
orange."
Michel Platini, captain of France at Mexico
1986
"When Diego scored that second goal against us, I felt like
applauding. I'd never felt like that before, but it's
true... and not just because it was such an important game. It was
impossible to score such a beautiful goal. He's the greatest
player of all time, by a long way. A genuine phenomenon."
Gary Lineker, England striker at Mexico 1986
"And to think that before the World Cup people criticised
me, saying Maradona wasn't qualified to be captain and that he
still had to prove himself. One month later he completely dominated
the tournament. It was a huge step for him in terms of fame, and a
great reward for his work."
Carlos Bilardo, Argentina coach Mexico 1986
"Diego is someone many people want to imitate - a
controversial figure, both loved and loathed, and someone who
provokes huge debate, especially in Argentina. In Mexico (in 1986),
we had to stop him from training, otherwise he would have been at
it day and night. Bilardo wouldn't let him, as he said the
altitude would take too much out of him. So the only conflict we
had with Diego at that World Cup was with him wanting to do extra
training."
Jorge Valdano, Maradona's team-mate at Mexico
1986
"Diego was an example to everyone, not just in terms of his
quality, but also for his commitment. He was the first to tackle
and dive in when we lost possession, so how could we not do the
same? He was contagious. When it came to his play, however, trying
to imitate him was impossible."
Hector Enrique, Maradona's team-mate at Mexico
1986
