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Diego Maradona passed away, Wednesday, of a heart attack. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Maradona has been for so many years a role model for many football lovers in Morocco. The love story between Moroccans and the footballer started on June 29, 1986 at the Azteca stadium in Mexico City during the world cup game that brought Argentina and Germany together.
During the game, two or three Moroccan flags were waved by Moroccan players to celebrate the victory of Maradona. Having the Atlas Lions attend the World Cup finale, as spectators, was indeed a gift from the late King Hassan II to Baddou Zaki's comrades for their promising participation to the 1986 Mexico World Cup.
The golden generation of Moroccan football did not have the privilege to play against Maradona. The Atlas Lions could not qualify for the 1990 World Cup in Italy, leaving the honor of representing Africa to Cameroon and Egypt.
The Atlas Lions and their game against Maradona in Argentina
After this competition and the final lost in Italy against Germany, the Argentine No.10 entered a vicious cycle. He did not make headlines for his talent but rather for his absence from the field. The decline was predictable, but Maradona did not retire. At 34, he even tried to make a comeback, especially when the opportunity presented itself to him. Although it struggled, his team qualified after two play-offs against Australia, to the American World Cup.
The Atlas Lions were also participating to the competition. On April 20, 1994, a new generation of players led by coach Abdellah Blinda, faced Argentina's Maradona in a friendly match at the El Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires. The meeting ended with Morocco’s loss (3-1). The «No. 10» scored a penalty. The goal of the Atlas Lions was scored by Kechloul thanks to the help of Mustapha Hajji.
In 1997, Maradona retired for good. Suddenly, he was unable to take part in the 2004 friendly meeting in Casablanca, part of the campaign to promote the Kingdom's candidacy for the organization of the 2010 World Cup.
His Moroccan fans waited until 2015 to see him play in a stadium in Morocco. It was during a charity match organized by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation to commemorate the 40 th anniversary of the Green March. While the player had gained weight, this did not prevent his fans from attending the game to the football legend.
The following year, he returned to Laayoune for a similar occasion and received the same and warm welcome from Moroccans.
