The footballing world is still in mourning after the untimely passing of Diego Maradona this week, with tributes continuing to pour in from some of the biggest names in the game.
There is little that hasn't been said about the Argentine at this stage, but it is remarkable to see just how highly he is regarded by all those who were lucky enough to watch him in his pomp. Roy Keane was the latest to sing his praises, revealing that he managed to see him in action once.
Appearing on Sky Sports this afternoon, Keane's admiration of Maradona was clear. He also revealed that he managed to catch a glimpse of the World Cup winner training on one occasion, despite the protests of Ireland manager Jack Charlton.
🗣"Jack Charlton was going mad saying get on the bus, we went no we are watching Maradona"
Roy Keane with his memories of the late Diego Maradona pic.twitter.com/OPhqalPiJ6— Football Daily (@footballdaily) November 29, 2020
He was fantastic, what a player. I must be older than you Jimmy [Floyd Hasselbaink], because it was the 1982 World Cup that I fell in love with the game, particularly watching Maradona. Also as a young kid watching Italian football, watching him at Napoli. Absolutely amazing.
I never got to see him play, but I got to see him training in Seville. We were playing a qualifier with Ireland for the 1994 World Cup. He was at Seville at the time and we used their training facilities.
We just watched him training one afternoon, the senior players. I remember Jack Charlton was going mad saying 'come on, get on the bus'. We were like 'no, no, we're watching Maradona'. He was only training, doing free-kicks!
A brilliant player, absolutely world class. Even with all his flaws, that was part of the attraction for me as well. An absolute genius, I have great memories watching him.
We can imagine the reaction Jack Charlton received when he tried to hurry the lads onto the team bus.
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