One of the first goalkeepers to concede a goal against Diego Maradona during his spell at Napoli has recalled the "beautiful" way the icon played - as well as his own saves against the star player, and how he gave away the Argentine's match jersey.
Maradona, a World Cup winner with Argentina in 1986, enjoyed the most successful spell of his club career at Napoli between 1984 and 1991, helping the Naples club win their only two Serie A titles, as well as the 1987 Coppa Italia and the 1989 UEFA Cup.
He scored the third of his 115 goals for Napoli in a Coppa Italia match against Pescara on September 2, 1984 - a game the opposition goalkeeper that day, Gianluca Pacchiarotti, still remembers clearly.
Maradona scored a remarkable overhead kick to complete a 3-0 victory, with Pacchiarotti remembering the extraordinary anticipation ahead of facing the star. He also recalls denying the Argentine with several saves - before eventually being beaten by his genius.
Speaking exclusively to Goal, Pacchiarotti said: "That game, luckily for me - or bad luck, since we lost it - is remembered in Pescara with great emotion and with great pleasure.
"It was Maradona's third official match in Italy, it was the first time he came to Pescara. There was great anticipation in the media, since he had just arrived after the very long negotiations. It was truly an event. Napoli won, they had great players. I remember everything about that game, it was beautiful.
"I always like to re-watch that game, because apart from the goal I conceded, I also managed to make some nice saves against a great player. Although we were two goals down, and we also missed a penalty at 0-3, I stopped four shots from Diego.
"I thought I'd done it (kept Maradona out). Then he recovered the ball with his back to goal in the middle of the area and turned it in with a bicycle kick. I tried to stop it with my right foot but I couldn't. In any case, it was a great goal."
Pacchiarotti, who aside from a year at Schalke spent his career in the Italian lower divisions and now works as a goalkeeper coach, spent the majority of the match watching Maradona, transfixed by his brilliance.
He also remembers that Maradona, in spite of the huge media attention surrounding him, managed to slip away quietly at the end of the game.
Pacchiarotti said: "During the match I watched him, especially when he had the ball at his feet. I remember he didn't talk much, he didn't ask for the ball too much. On the pitch he played perfectly with [Napoli team-mate Daniel] Bertoni, a player he'd played alongside in the national team.
"I remember his fabulous moves. He was almost detached from the team. Then he took the ball and did what he wanted with it.
"At the end of the game I had to do the anti-doping test routine with Salvatore Bagni. When we finished, there was no-one outside. Nobody understood how Diego managed to leave."
And after the final whistle, Pacchiarotti was able to claim the most prized possession for many footballers - the match shirt of his star opponent. However, he no longer owns Maradona's jersey after an act of generosity which he now rather regrets.
Pacchiarotti said: "At the end of the match in the tunnel I asked him for his shirt and he gave it to me. I kept it in my home for a year. Then during the year of my military service, I made the mistake of giving it away. At the time, the goalkeepers were a bit strange. Over the years I have regretted it a little, but you can never ask for a gift to be returned."
