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And whereSpecial for ESPN
Lionel Messi should sign for Napoli to pay the ultimate tribute to Diego Maradona when he leaves Barcelona, according to his former Camp Nou teammate Kevin-Prince Boateng, who has paid his own tribute to the great Argentine who left.
Maradona passed away at age 60 on November 25, and Messi, who worked with the 1986 World Cup winner during the former’s time as Argentina’s head coach, has already paid his respects to his idol by removing his kit. from Barça to reveal a Newell’s Old Boys jersey earlier this year. month.
However, Monza midfielder Boateng believes Messi should pay the utmost tribute to his compatriot by signing for Maradona’s former club Napoli when his contract with Barcelona ends in 2021.
“Messi is going to end his contract at Barcelona, [but] How awesome would it be if you just called Napoli and said ‘I’ll come’? “Boateng told ESPN.
“‘They no longer give the number 10 shirt, [but] I would love to honor Maradona’s number 10 and I would love to come and play for a year or two at Napoli, not thinking about money or anything, just my heart. ‘
Maradona’s status in Naples is mythical, as he won the Italian title twice during his seven-year stay at Napoli, whose San Paolo stadium has been renamed in his honor since his passing.
“It would be like a movie,” Boateng continued. “He would have to go practice in a damn helicopter because people would eat him alive and he would be so happy.
“But just that story: ‘In honor of Maradona, I will come and play for Naples’, what kind of story would that be for the world, not just for football, for the world?
“It would be a message, it would be history everywhere. I wish I was in Messi’s shoes. I want to be Messi. I would call the president of Napoli and tell him.”
Napoli have joined in the collective recognition of Maradona following his death earlier this month, with the team wearing Argentina-inspired uniforms for their Serie A match with AS Roma, each Napoli player wearing their iconic number 10 to the game, and striker Lorenzo Insigne even got a tattoo of the club’s legend on his left leg.
For Boateng, Maradona’s ‘strong bond’ with the club and the city is as much about what he accomplished off the field as it is on it, and the player’s attitude to life in Italy explains why he remains so beloved in the city. .
“I heard stories about him when he came out of training camp and saw families and gave them money and said ‘everything is going to be fine,'” Boateng recalled.
“That’s what made him so special in Naples. Of course he won the league, but he was like a person who could be touched and is hard to find.
“He was always there; you saw him score an incredible goal, and then the next day, you could find him walking the streets.”
Since he burst onto the scene in Barcelona in 2004, before making his debut in Argentina a year later, Messi has been celebrated as the spiritual successor to Maradona and Boateng, who played with the 33-year-old during his loan to Catalonia last season. , believes that the comparisons are not far-fetched.
“[Maradona] he had too much quality, and he had that intelligence that Messi has, he was always one step ahead, “continued Boateng.” I don’t remember seeing him live, but I have seen all the videos and I know all about him. . “
READ: Kevin-Prince Boateng’s battle against racism is far from over
The Ghana international did witness Messi’s qualities closely during his time in Catalonia, a period that made him recently affirm that he felt ‘inadequate’ in front of the great Barça.
When asked what differentiated Messi from Boateng’s other teammates and opponents, the former AC Milan midfielder noted his ability to combine quick thinking and impeccable technique.
He said: “[It’s] His mind, because he has incredible qualities with the ball, we see him all the time, but he is always two or three steps ahead. All the time, that’s what makes it amazing.
“His mind, his intelligence, knowing where to go, with the right pace, with the right foot.
“People don’t understand football, and how the game changes, playing the ball with the right pace, with the right spin, with the perfect foot at the right time.
“All those things together, and he [also] He has that intelligence to understand that in a second, where to put the ball ”.
Perhaps someday soon, Barcelona’s defeat could turn into Napoli’s gain.
