MADRID, 25 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Former German soccer player Lothar Matthäus recalled on Thursday his relationship with Diego Armando Maradona, with whom he shared “many years” and with whom he only played as a partner once, which was “unforgettable”, both for the game and for the “unforgettable night of beers”. through Seville” that passed afterwards.
The German soccer legend was one of the protagonists of the presentation of the shirt worn by the Argentine star in the final that faced them in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, which he himself donated to Legends, a company that collects soccer memorabilia and collaborates with LaLiga, so that it can be exhibited in the museum that will open in Madrid.
Along with Matthäus, the Argentine ambassador to Spain, Ricardo Alfonsín, the CEO of LaLiga, Óscar Mayo, the president of Legends, Marcelo Ordás, and, as host, the journalist Victor Hugo Morales were present. The president of the AFA, Claudio Tapia, also participated, via video, in an act that took place at the Embassy of Argentina in Spain, in Madrid.
Lothar Matthäus was the player with whom Maradona exchanged his jersey at half-time in the 86 World Cup final, a relic that he has now donated to the Legends museum in Madrid. “As friends we always used to exchange jerseys, and in that game I didn’t have much time in the break, we just changed jerseys and we’ll talk later,” he explained.
“That day Argentina won in a very deserved way, not only because of Diego but because the whole team was very strong. Afterwards there was no time to talk much because he was celebrating and I was with my team. In the final of Italy 90, we exchanged the shirt after the game, and we have that shirt in the German football museum,” said the German, who was proclaimed world champion that day.
Now, the historic shirt that the ’10’ wore on one of the most important days of his career, can be visited in Madrid thanks to the insistence of the president of Legends, Marcelo Ordás. “Several calls with Marcelo have been necessary and in the end I have ended up convinced that this shirt ends the collection. In the museum it will have a perfect place,” he said.
The German recognized that, despite knowing the value of the piece, he did not want to sell it, but has preferred to donate it “not only to Marcelo, but to the Argentine people” because “not everything can be bought with money” and such an act “is not paid”. “Diego Maradona has not only been a great soccer legend, we shared many years together, I played a lot against Maradona and in the end a friendship grew between us,” he added.
“There was an unforgettable game, in 1988 in Seville, Platini’s farewell and we played together there. I even scored a goal thanks to a pass from Maradona and then we had an unforgettable night of beers in Seville,” declared the German.
The former soccer player also recalled how important the man they faced twice in the World Cup final was in his country. “In Germany, Diego is also recognized as a great legend, so I am very grateful to be here,” he said.
“It has always been an honor to play against him, because not only as a player, but as a human being, he has been a very important person. I am sad that I am here alone, but obviously he will be here forever, not only in our hearts but also in the museum,” he concluded.
MARCELO ORDÁS: “THE PROCESS WAS FRUSTRATED, BUT AFTER IT WAS EXCITING”
The president of Legends, Marcelo Ordás, recognized the former captain of the German team for his “generosity” and for being “a man who loves football” for having allowed the shirt with which Maradona became world champion to be return to Argentina, after passing through the exhibition in Madrid.
Marcelo Ordás recalled how the process was to end up obtaining one of the most valuable pieces in the museum. “At first it was frustrating, but then it was exciting. It was the typical German response ‘thanks, I’m not interested, we’ll talk another day’. Then he saw what happened in London and highlighted what it was like to be the Argentine who fought for national heritage in England “, he recounted.
In London, Legends was a few seconds away from being auctioned off with the shirt that the star Argentine soccer player wore in the quarterfinals against England in that same World Cup, when ‘the hand of God’ was born.
“Later we met in Berlin, and when he gave us the final ok, I thought the possibility of sharing it with everyone was very important, but I also met a warm, generous and super-fun person and that few players I met love. both football and Mr. Lothar Matthäus”, explained Ordás.
The Argentine defined this shirt as “the most important relic in the history of the most beautiful sport”, and stated that the work of Legends is to “preserve the testimony worn by the heroes of the greatest passion” that “human beings have created”, for which he valued very positively that Matthäus “in a very unusual way in this materialistic world and from his generosity” has collaborated with the project.
For his part, the CEO of LaLiga, Óscar Mayo, highlighted the importance of this shirt for “what Maradona means for world football and what it has meant for football and for Argentina”.
“I experienced Marcelo’s frustration in London firsthand, we were seconds away from obtaining that relic, but shortly after we are here. We, LaLiga, just a year ago, in August, were told about the Legends project and When you see him, we don’t hesitate for a second to do whatever it takes to accompany Marcelo on this path, to get to know the experience and help him in his international career”, highlighted Mayo.