Maradona could play for Celta

The history of Diego Armando Maradona could change radically in the summer of 1977. Also that of Celta, of course. The paths of the Vigo club and the Argentine star were about to converge that year, but the doubts of betting on a youthful promise were very strong and prevented Pelusa from landing in Vigo at the age of 16.. Obviously, they all pulled their hair out in Balaídos years later and perhaps that is why this story never became well known in Vigo.

Celta had just signed a dramatic relegation to Second on the last day of the previous season, something that could also influence when making such an important decision. The people from Vigo were looking for an attacker to set up their squad in Second, in order to achieve immediate promotion to the highest category. Then, an Argentine contact offered him Two options: a 16-year-old promise who had made his debut a few months before in the Argentine Primera or a proven scorer. The first, Diego Armando Maradona. The second, Juan Carlos Nani. The debate was already raised.

The discussions in Balaídos' offices were intense during those days. On the one hand, the illusion of betting on a young soccer player who was beginning to amaze Argentina and whose references were extraordinary. On the other side of the scale, a consecrated player, with experience in teams like Boca or Lanús. And all this in a context of social pressure after a decline. Erring in the signing of the forward could be dramatic.

After several days of deliberation, Celta ended up opting for Nani, for which he paid between eight and nine million pesetas (about 50,000 euros). El Gringo, as he was known in Argentina, scored 2 goals in the 18 games he played with the Olívico team. Meanwhile, on the other side of the pond, Maradona exploded as a star in Argentinos Juniors and became part of the albiceleste pre-list for the 1978 World Cup.

That season Celta achieved promotion to First Division, but the disappointment among the directors for not taking advantage of the opportunity to sign Maradona lasted a lifetime. This November 23 marks the 28th anniversary of the only visit of Pelusa to Balaídos. He did it with Sevilla and scored a goal from a free-kick in the Sevilla victory (1-2) against Celta that finished with seven players after four expulsions. The story could change fifteen years earlier, with Diego de celeste in the Vigo stadium. But Celta decided … to rule out Maradona.