Diego Maradona was one of the greatest players the game had ever seen.
Maradona dominated the beautiful game in a way that has rarely ever been seen, toying with his opponents with his immaculate dribbling, impeccable technique and searing pace.
The two-time World Cup winner was a league over the rest during his playing days and the way he ran the show was reminiscent of his Argentine successor in Lionel Messi.
Diego Maradona was devastating to play against, an absolute joy to watch and the embodiment of a once-in-a-lifetime footballer.
Maradona played with several stalwarts during his playing career who have gone down as legends of the game, with names like Socrates, Gary Lineker, Bryan Robson and Rudi Voller to name a few.
Diego Maradona named Bryan Robson as his ‘favourite English player’
Gary Lineker and Bryan Robson witnessed the genius of Diego Maradona first-hand, as he dismantled England in the quarter-final of the 1986 World Cup, which is remembered for the great man’s famous ‘Hand of God’ goal.
During the contest, Maradona scored a brace, the first of which was a tremendous solo strike which is universally remembered as one of the best goals in the history of the game.
Diego Maradona went on hold a deep admiration for former Manchester United midfielder Bryan Robson, naming him as his favourite English player of all time during an interview with FourFourTwo in 2019.
| BRYAN ROBSON STATS FOR MANCHESTER UNITED | |
| APPEARANCES | 446 |
| GOALS | 97 |
| ASSISTS | 6 |
“I played at Old Trafford [in the 1983/84 Cup Winners’ Cup quarter-final]. What noise, like La Bombonera. I use that game as an example to my players.”
“Barcelona won the home game 2-0 and we went to Manchester confident. Too confident, as we lost 3-0 and went out. I told my players about that when we were 3-1 up after beating Mineros last week. I told them not to let what happened to me happen to them and we won 2-0 in the second game on Saturday.”
“And I remember that game in Manchester. Bryan Robson, he was my favourite English player of that generation played that night. But I should have won a penalty in that game! Bryan Robson and Graeme Souness were the best British midfielders. Great players.”
What Bryan Robson said about Diego Maradona
Bryan Robson paid a heartfelt tribute to Diego Maradona when he passed away in 2020, reflecting on his incredible World Cup campaign in 1986 and their unforgettable battle in 1984.
Robson said via Manchester United’s official website: “What a player he was, undoubtedly the best of his era and up there with the likes of Pele among the greatest ever. He won the 1986 World Cup for Argentina more or less on his own. The football he played and the goals he scored in that tournament were unbelievable.
“He went past five players to score against England in the quarter-final and then did exactly the same against Belgium in the semi-final. He was a real character too. I played with him in quite a few charity games and he was a great person to be around.”
“Of course, we met in 1984 as well. It was a great evening for us and people still talk about it 36 years later. To come back from 2-0 down against Barcelona is a great result at any time, but to do it against a team containing Maradona and Bernd Schuster made it even more special. It’s a sad day for football but he leaves us with some fantastic memories.”
Football fans from across the world would have been delighted to see how much two titans of the game in Diego Maradona and Bryan Robson hold each other in high esteem throughout their respective careers.
