Maradona Gives Kudos to Barcelona

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Diego Maradona - Argentina (PA)

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After watching Barcelona carve open Mallorca 3-1 on Saturday evening at the Camp Nou, Argentine national team coach Diego Maradona surprised the Blaugrana stars with a cameo appearance during their warm-down training session on Sunday.

The former Barça legend was present at the VIP box the night before, not just to observe the team in action, but also to have a chat with the club’s supremos about calling up their star winger, Lionel Messi, for Argentina’s friendly against France in February.

Maradona was expected to fly out of Catalunya immediately after the game to attend another match in Sunday’s program. But instead, he stayed behind to make a delightful appearance at Barça’s training ground the morning after.

He initially watched the team train at La Masía from behind the fence, just like any fan would. But once Pep Guardiola had spotted him, he ushered El Pelusa onto the pitch before asking him to say a few words.

“You are an example for all. You must continue playing like this. I want to congratulate you because what you’re doing has great merit and it allows everyone to enjoy football,” Maradona was quoted as saying by Sport.

“I wish you the best. If you continue in this manner, the titles will arrive,” he said to the players, who listened intently.

After his speech, Diego left the field, only to be pulled back in by Pep again. The two had a quiet chat with each other while the Argentine observed Barcelona’s training methods.

--KS Leong, Goal.com