DIEGO Maradona visited the training complexes of Manchester United and Liverpool yesterday to meet the two squads – and discovered lines of senior players waiting for an autograph, a handshake or a word or two from the legendary player.
In Liverpool, players and family members stood in line outside manager Rafa Benitez's office, where he spoke with Maradona for two hours.
Maradona presented Rio Ferdinand with a signed shirt as a 30th birthday gift in front of an awe-struck Manche
ster United dressing room after stopping off at their Carrington training ground as part of a whistle-stop tour of Europe as he gets to grips with his new job as Argentina coach.
Accompanied by assistant Carlos Bilardo, Maradona went to meet Carlos Tevez, who, along with Liverpool's Javier Mascherano, he has identified as a major part of his plans for the future. But even a group of players as used to dealing with superstardom as United's were left gob-smacked by Maradona's presence.
He might still be remembered by some as the man who cheated England in the 1986 World Cup. But for Ferdinand, like many others, Maradona remains the best of all time.
"We were like schoolkids around a star coming to school," said Ferdinand. "In my eyes he is the best footballer ever. He is one of my heroes, if not the shining beacon when I was a kid. I had all his videos. He was the player everyone wanted to be.
"He has been the best. He was my idol and part of the reason why I started to play football. I can't hold him in higher esteem than that. To be able to shake his hand, get a cuddle off him and a picture, it made my birthday."
Ferdinand certainly sensed an extra competitiveness around training this morning, which did not go unnoticed by Sir Alex Ferguson. "I think the gaffer would probably like him to come every day the way he raised standards in training," said the England defender. "Everyone was trying to impress him."
Ferguson can understand the reaction completely and still regards Maradona as the only player who can challenge Pele's status as football's number one. "It was good. The players were all delighted to see him," said the United manager. "It is arguable who is the best player in the world but without a doubt, he is in the best two or three."
The full article contains 407 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
