From: pampa@cbnewsb.cb.att.com (ruben.a.mazzulla)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.soccer
Subject: *** MARADONA (present & future) ***
Keywords: god bless south-american soccer!
Date: 19 Aug 92 23:43:07 GMT
Organization: AT&T


still there are many maradona's bashers out there that don't get!

maradona DOESN'T WANT TO PLAY in ITALY ANYMORE!!,  can you get this?
he said this a least 100 times already, but napoli's owner insisted 
in `retaining' him at not matter what cost.

i know there is a contract (signed before italy`90, and before his
house was attacked) but boca juniors sent mr. markarian late in june 
this year to buy that contract (50%-boca's, 50%-maradona's money) and 
mr. ferlaino responded that -"..everybody is for sale in napoli ...but 
maradona!".  then what do you do in this case?  yield to 'the boss'?  
playing even when you don't have any motivation?

well, that may be the case of a guy without level/future/money but diego
has it all, even after he screwed up very badly with the cocaine scandal.
but now, he should stay in argentina (playing for boca) and getting
ready little-by-little for the usa`94.  he's a winner and he'll be back!
even in turf his wins (his horse won $ 1.7M so far this year), and he
just bought a new one that seems to be even better!! ....then why to
venture outside of his country?  

i traveled there, argentina (+ brazil/uruguay) last december, and since
i always enjoy soccer, i attended as many games as i could, but i couldn't
see diego playing 5-on-5 soccer (which is becoming a very poplar sport 
there) because to do that you need to buy the tickets TWO MONTHS in 
advance ...even when most of his games are shown in tv!!! 

so, we're not talking here (as many netters seem to be) about a guy
who's `desperately looking for a job'.  what diego needs to do is to keep
playing soccer at home (as pele', who never played real futebol for other 
than santos and brazil).  diego has just one more big mistake to make in
his life, and that will be going back to play in europe.  by playing in 
boca, or 5-on-5 soccer, diego will keep in shape and won't lose `the 
touch'.  then, the `93 south-american cup arrives, the `94 classification 
games, and the other regional tournaments.  those will give him the 
connection need with the rest of his national team.

of course i'm not expecting to see him at age 33/4 as the same diego 
maradona of the `79/`82/`86 (that expectation would be ridiculous!), but
he still have a lot to give to his team in 1994.  i'm not even expecting 
him to play mid-fielder anymore.  the position i foresee for him is as 
attacker.  playing up there, where the other team will have to assign 2 
defenders to keep him under control (you don't want diego maradona, even 
at 34, with `light escort' near the goal-line), and that will free more
space for caniggia, batistuta, and sneider.  the mid-field should be 
under simeone (actual #10), cagna and pochettino's responsibility, they
have proven themselves as players of excellent level.  diego has to stay 
near the 18th, run little, and wait for the ball to be delivered (or some 
occasional free-kicks) ..and then turn on his magic!

but to fully achieve this, maradona DOESN'T HAVE to play in italy (where
the competition is too tough) and the results were seen in the `90 w/c.
he got there injured and `wasted' from the italian tournament. in italy
we saw "1/2 diego" (and even so, still the best one!) with an argentinian 
team that was very mediocre (mr. bilardo kept in that squad 3 players that
didn't even play in the argentine's first division (his buddies!)), and 
it made it all the way to the final to be defeated via a controversial 
penalty kick in the last minutes of the game ...which doesn't say much 
about the champ and/or the level of that w/c, either (well, the true is 
most of the `key teams' had also players in the italian calccio, and they 
were also `wasted' and performing below average, i.e. van basten).  a 
pity for soccer!

but argentina now has a different coach, alfio basile (with a new soccer
philosophy) and a MUCH MUCH stronger-younger team (as shown in the 1991's
america cup in chile).  and if roger miller was cameroon's star at 38th, 
why can't diego maradona still be the argentina's best at 34th?


ruben mazzulla