[ad_1]
For former Kaizer Chiefs darling and Bafana Bafana star Doctor Khumalo, playing Boca Juniors against Diego Maradona is a career milestone etched in his memory.
Khumalo said Thursday that Maradona, a 1986 World Cup winner in Argentina, who died Wednesday at age 60, was, like most footballers who grew up in the 1980s, a childhood hero.
The Bafana’s 1996 African Cup of Nations winner played a season at Ferro Carril Oeste in Argentina in 1995, before the deal was cut short due to problems related to the agent’s handling of the matter. He remembers playing at the Alberto J Armando Stadium, Boca’s home, more popularly known as La Bombonera, one of the most intimidating clubhouses in world football.
Maradona played for Boca before joining Barcelona in 1982 ‚and again in the 1990s‚ and after his playing career he remained one of the big club’s most fanatical fans.
“I remember the game we played against Boca Juniors on a Sunday, and we were warming up and wondering what all the fuss was about,” recalled Khumalo.
“Because the stadium fills up around 11 in the morning. And ‚you must understand‚ that man is seen as a godfather of football ‚because football in Argentina is a kind of religion.
“In Argentina, even the smallest teams get crowds. But when we played against Boca ‚that’s when I felt‚ I’m in Argentina ‘.
“I think there were five‚ 10 minutes left for the warm-up and I heard the crowd yelling ‘Ma-ra-donna’. And I thought, ‘But this guy isn’t playing.’
“Only to find out that at the Boca Juniors stadium he has his own private suite. So he went in with his family.
“And when I looked up I saw [Claudio] Caniggia, Maradona, people like [Gabriel] Batistuta ‚and I was like‚ ‘Wow’.
“And then what he does is walk to the front of his private suite, where there is like a glass, and he leans east, south, and west. And when he bows the crowd [in that stand] acknowledge it by raising your hand and say something in Spanish, and the booth on the other side does the same. So it’s kind of a timed way of saying hello.
“Those guys, not just Maradona, although yeah, of course that could be the icing on the cake, but when it comes to celebrating former players, it’s amazing. Because Diego Simeone, when he walked in, you should have seen the crowd.
“So I was trying to find out if Maradona is the one inviting those guys to his private suite. But I must say that this guy is something else, not only in Argentina but in all of South America ”.
Khumalo came out of the game well.
“Look, we lost 2-1 to Boca. I played the full 90 minutes. It was a tough team to play against, obviously with player number 12.
“But fortunately I earned my stripes because all of Argentina knew me since I signed them up. [1995] Mandela Challenge at Ellis Park ‚in the 1-1 draw.
“… That is why they gave me the number 10 shirt. [at Oeste]. “
Khumalo returned to La Bombonera in May 1998, but did not play, when Philippe Troussier’s Bafana lost 2-0 to Argentina in a friendly to prepare for the World Cup in France 98.
“Supporters from the West came to the hotel. They still remembered who I was, a few years later, and they took me and a few teammates, Benni McCarthy, David Nyathi, Shoes Moshoeu, out for lunch.
“I scored a goal in my debut for the West [against Independiente] – the video that’s circulating on YouTube – from a very awkward angle. “
Khumalo said he never had personal interactions with Maradona when he came to South Africa as Argentina’s coach for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
“I didn’t do it because I was deployed as an ambassador then. Remember, we had a lot of trouble in terms of ensuring that fans came to SA. So I also went back to Argentina ‚and was sent to South America to sell the World Cup.
“And with our ambassador, Tony Leon, and Standard Bank, we had a press conference. Argentina threatened to qualify, and had an away game against Uruguay to go through.
[ad_2]
