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...hits it with the head. He goes after it.

There's a pass towards Redondo.

Then to Maradona and Redondo, and back to Maradona.

He kicks it and goal!

The 25th of June was a hot Saturday.

At 9.15 am,

Father Abelardo Caminos

got off the plane from New York to Boston.

CIA agent Mel Kennedy was waiting for him.

"Here are the communion wafers," he said.

"Maradona took communion before the previous game.

As the game went well, he'll take it again."

When he emerged from the lobby, from the idol's room,

Father Caminos looked shaken.

Agent Mel was intrigued and worried. "Did he take it?"

"Yes."

"What's wrong, Abelardo?," asked agent Mel cautiously.

"I've never been so close to God

and the Devil at the same time."

To the sixty thousands fans here with us today

and to the one billion international viewers around the world,

The United States of America

warmly welcomes you

to World Cup USA 1994!

Up until that time the US had been frankly a disaster

on the world football scene.

Basically, the World Cup and international football

was Europe and South America.

The rest of the world basically didn't exist in their sphere.

Europeans were apoplectic as soon as the announcement was made.

"How could this possibly go to the United States?

They're basically sports barbarians, they know nothing about the game,

they absolutely can't host a World Cup, they don't know what to do..."

It was pretty unbridled criticism right from the get-go.

I was convinced that when it comes to a big event,

the Americans will be there because they like big events

and they like big stars.

And this was, this was behind the idea to bring this World Cup.

We were the first time they had a serious opening ceremony.

Everything we were doing

was showing FIFA and the world basically how to do a big event.

You know, not just open the stadium doors

and welcome people, send players out onto the field,

but really create all that hoopla, if you will.

Ladies and gentlemen,

a carnival of countries

celebrates as World Cup USA

proudly presents the parade of nations!

We welcome first, Argentina!

We got a phone call

saying an important athlete

was to be arrested in Caballito

for possession of drugs.

His driver, German, rushed over,

but was too late.

The police was there.

It's Diego Maradona.

It's Diego. It's impossible to get to him.

We were at the Aman Hotel in Zurich,

and Daniel turned on the TV.

When it came on, it was incredible.

Diego coming out of that house in Caballito.

The police, media, radio, press. Everyone was there.

The hot dog seller, the soda seller.

The whole world was there. 300 people.

They found Diego with friends and some girls. I don't recall.

They arrested him for possession or for taking drugs.

I found out he'd been arrested.

So I went to the police station.

I saw him. He was in a bad state.

When will you know what's happening to Diego?

When they tell me.

You're waiting for information?

We're waiting to see what happens.

What I do remember is

that when he returned to his cell

all the other detainees chanted his name.

I found that amusing.

News of Maradona's arrest

for suspected possession and consumption of drugs

has shocked all Argentina.

The idol was taken to court

for his second interrogation in 24 hours.

President Menem said he was shocked by the news.

Disgraced soccer star Diego Maradona is now in hiding

after being hit with a 15-month

worldwide suspension for using cocaine.

The career of one of the all-time greats is all but over.

I loved him.

I was in love with him.

I really wanted the best of him.

I was with him, I was with him mentally.

I said this Maradona he must survive, he must be there,

he must come back.

He wanted to play football again,

but then the next big step was the World Cup in 94.

And the Americans, they like stars.

And I wanted to have stars,

and he was one of the stars!

And this is my responsibility to take him there.

But really I wanted to have him as a human being

but also as a star to show the world and football

in the United States,

we have a star.

And so I was instrumental for his transfer to Sevilla.

ITALY '90

RAMON SANCHEZ PIZJUAN STADIUM

Signing Maradona was Blatter's idea.

FIFA wanted him as an icon of the US World Cup.

Carlos Salvador Bilardo, former manager of Argentina,

was Sevilla's manager at the time.

He suggested to Luis Cuervas, Sevilla's president,

the idea of signing in Diego Maradona.

They said it was a possibility, but no one believed the rumour

until Bilardo gathered us in a hotel room

and told us Diego was coming.

He said Maradona was "very special."

He said nothing else, just "very special."

We had to help him become the player he had once been.

For the good of the team.

Signing Maradona

turned Sevilla into a global club.

Diego was a media star as well as a football star.

Wherever Diego went, the media followed.

The whole world watched his every move.

Sevilla knew about Maradona's drug problem.

But everyone deserves a second chance.

Sevilla really believed that the club

could bring order to Diego's life

and make him a top athlete again.

WITH YOU UNTIL I DIE

We'd heard talk but didn't believe it.

We thought it was a marketing gimmick.

But the rumours kept growing.

When it was confirmed, people went crazy.

He was a childhood idol for people our age.

I thought he'd do for Sevilla what he did in Napoli.

Transform a small club.

Maradona in the back is still dangerous here.

And... Goal!

I saw him winning the World Cup.

I had seen the famous hand,

I had seen the goal against England.

I was 15 then, and now at 22 he's next to me.

It was unbelievable.

Imagine a kid today seeing Messi win everything

suddenly playing in the same team.

I remember it so clearly.

-Beautiful. -Incredible.

It still gives me goosebumps.

We'd watched him on TV, heard him, seen photos.

But to see him playing with our shirt.

To see him in the flesh was incredible.

And what a show he put on!

Maradona.

Maradona looks for Bango. Bango hits with the head. Goal!

Super goal! Sevilla!

I'm full of anger and happiness for so many things.

It's been two years.

Two years without playing for fans,

without a proper game. That hurt a lot.

Above all I didn't disappoint those who believed in me.

People like Mr. Cuervas and Mr. Del Nido,

the people of Sevilla, who believed in Maradona.

Today we had our first win. I hope it continues like this.

The chance to return to his calling

motivated him.

That's why his mood changed.

And his lifestyle changed.

Diego was happy in Seville.

He liked it.

It was beautiful there.

He had a great time. Bilardo treated him like a king.

The family was there. Claudia, the girls.

The girls were still little.

He was happy. He was in his element, as we would say.

We wondered when we would see the real Maradona.

The game against Madrid

was the moment we felt it might happen.

He saw things before anyone else.

His final ball was so fast.

His skill on the ball and his tactical ability were innate.

Look at him move. In that area, receiving the ball, he was lethal.

Our three foreign players were Davor Suker,

"Cholo" Simeone and Diego Armando Maradona.

It's amazing we didn't win anything with this team.

Diego was in heaven for...

half his time

in Seville.

Happier than he'd ever been.

He was so good. So good

that the "fateful call"

came from Coco Basile, the manager of Argentina,

to play in a friendly.

That meant the return of Diego,

King Diego, star of Argentina, back to his kingdom.

Sevilla at the same time

had a cup game that Wednesday against Logrones.

I think relations between Maradona and Sevilla changed

after the call up to Argentina for Diego Pablo Simeone

and Diego Maradona.

It was a friendly, so Sevilla didn't give permission.

The manager got involved,

but they couldn't solve the conflict.

You can't tell Diego, "I forbid you."

"Don't you dare."

"Yeah? I'm going"

he was determined to go. And he left.

Maradona. Caniggia.

Honestly, at that point no one thought

he'd be back playing for Argentina.

If someone told you

that Diego would play again, they were lying.

I thought I'd come to football too late.

That he was already finished.

Diego...

It'll come eventually. It'll come.

Maradona trained for World Cups.

He didn't train for leagues.

Maradona saw football clubs as a way

to be on form for a World Cup.

No one else did that.

So, when they got in the way of that

his attitude towards Sevilla changed.

Diego Armando Maradona had a lot of influence

over an important part of the team.

They were young.

He was their idol,

a superstar whom they saw as untouchable.

They were influenced by him.

As a result, we hired a private detective

to monitor his movements.

On some days our instructions

were to wait here for the players.

Diego always drove his Porsche.

He'd come out at top speed.

We waited out front on two big motorbikes.

We followed him on bikes, because it was impossible by car.

It was exciting. An adventure. Like a movie.

The job was simple.

They wanted to know if Diego was breaking the terms of his contract.

I remember sitting down.

Once he turned up in his Porsche sounding like thunder.

He told us he was a bit worried.

We asked, "What's up, Diego?"

He said, "There's a man on a bike who's always following my car."

Wherever he went, this bike followed.

He said, "It's always the same bike."

Obviously someone was tailing him.

This building

in the 1990's was a well-known brothel in Seville

called "La Casita."

People with money, politicians and celebrities,

came here to visit Seville's most exclusive prostitutes.

He came several times.

We filmed him here.

When they began investigating

Maradona's nightlife,

he was furious.

So he lost control.

The more pressure you put on Maradona

the more he rebelled.

He made some decisions

from which there was no going back.

One day in Seville we went out.

He said, "You know, Lito?

You start climbing.

When you get to the very top,

you are so alone no one shows you the way.

And I've gone the wrong way".

We had proof that he wasn't behaving well.

We tried to help him,

first, by protecting him from the media

and then making him understand this would not end well.

As the stories began appearing, he became less engaged.

He was less friendly, more distant.

Before, when he turned up for training,

he'd greet everyone in the place and in the matches.

Sometimes, like 300 people.

He did it less and less. We all noticed.

During matches too.

I witnessed his rise to the top, and his downfall.

He was not himself any more.

He was what cocaine decided he would be.

Why did he never test positive during his time here?

Let's see.

That's a good question.

"Officially", because controls were very lax.

But perhaps the sample

wasn't really Diego's urine.

Could be.

Perhaps someone else peed for him.

While the relationship between Carlos Salvador Bilardo

and Diego Armando Maradona was paternal,

everything was fine.

But when Diego's relationship with Bilardo collapsed,

everything fell apart.

One match turned into a train crash.

It was against Burgos.

With no warning,

Bilardo substituted Maradona.

Maradona was never substituted.

Ever.

We thought everything was normal

Maradona was never subbed.

But we never expected that reaction.

You son of a bitch. Your mother is a whore.

That was the last straw.

He openly insulted him on camera.

He knew perfectly well what he was doing.

We went after him. It was obvious we were leaving.

Is that the way to treat Sevilla fans?

Both you and Diego?

-No. -Is there bad blood between you?

I think he gave his all.

Yes, he had a moment of madness.

But the team did everything to win.

We went home with Marcos Franchi and Daniel Bolotnicoff.

The doorbell rang. I went to see who it was.

"Who is it?" "It's Carlos." It was Bilardo.

We had him come in, and when he did,

he said, "Where's Diego?" "Upstairs. Watching television."

They started arguing and ended up throwing punches.

That was the end.

When we went upstairs it was funny.

Diego was standing on a red beanbag in front of the TV on guard.

And Carlos was sitting on the floor, as if he'd fallen.

He didn't train with Sevilla again.

He left a week later.

Several years later, Bilardo confessed to me

that he'd made a mistake.

Big time.

"José, I fucked up."

Yes, he fucked up.

Maradona was untamable.

Ungovernable.

He's with Fidel in Cuba, then he's arrested for cocaine

then suspended by FIFA.

The thousand lives of Maradona.

Maradona had something special.

His charisma was irresistible.

There are few lives that generate

that level of adoration, you know?

You couldn't say no.

No one could say no to Diego Maradona.

He was forgiven everything. Maradona was always forgiven.

It was a mistake we all made,

to forgive him everything.

You've seen how good the Colombians are on TV?

Yes, but I think that

second place is their position.

They can't change history.

They shouldn't try.

Argentinians should continue the course of history.

Argentina on top, Colombia below.

That's how it should be.

Colombia can't change football, even though they're good.

It was a special day. The stadium was packed.

Diego lived not far from here.

On the corner of Correa and Libertador.

I went to his house and we came in his van.

We parked at the stadium.

We entered through the middle entrance, where the dark seats are.

And we sat somewhere here.

There was his dad, who came with us.

There was Franchi, Bolotnicoff.

Who else was here? Claudia, of course.

Ladies and gentlemen, Diego Rodriguez to Borelli.

A ball forward but Wilson Perez defends it.

Batistuta to Simeone, it's intercepted.

Alexi Mendoza to Bati. Bati, Bati.

We wanted to win.

To go to the World Cup.

It was our chance to go to the World Cup.

We were certain we would win. We had no doubt.

Mencho is open.

Mencho...

He shoots hard to the middle. Mencho!

The game against Colombia began in euphoria.

Let's go, Argentina, come on!

A formality.

We'll sort this, this'll be straightforward.

Let's get this done and we can plan for the World Cup.

But as the game progressed we began looking at each other.

This isn't so easy, it's getting complicated.

Then the goals started.

Borelli. Valderrama gets away from Zapata.

Rodriguez gets close. Simeone wants the ball.

Freddy Rincón has the ball...

It was tough.

They're winning 1-0. We can recover from this. Or so we thought.

Then 2-0. We can still do it.

Then the third goal... Murmurs begin.

You can hear them.

People didn't know what to do.

Diego said nothing, nothing at all.

He didn't even swear.

This was one of the horrible moments at the time.

When you saw our fans

were applauding Colombia sarcastically.

It was killing us on the inside.

Watching this after so many years hurts.

I'd never watched it before.

There goes Asprilla again.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The score is 4-0 in 30 minutes.

This is historic for the Argentinian team.

I don't remember a defeat like this.

Argentina is all over the place.

The atmosphere was of complete disbelief.

People couldn't believe Colombia were destroying Argentina.

Asprilla through to Valencia...

It's 5-0 after 84 minutes.

Towards the end of the second half

everyone started screaming spontaneously and at the same time

a hymn.

A liturgy.

A rite.

Maradona...

They were making clear one thing, "We want Maradona."

Grondona, the people want Maradona. Since you're the president...

Maradona can't be picked automatically

we always said, and also the manager, if he's fit,

he'll make the squad.

It brought on conflicting emotions.

We wanted Argentina to win

but were proud to see how the people loved Diego.

After the game...

I don't want to misquote him, but he said something like,

"Guys, I'm coming back."

This Sunday 200 million viewers will tune to the Sydney football stadium

to witness Australia play Argentina

for the right to become a finalist in next year's World Cup.

To win Australia will not only need to beat a world class team,

but also a legend: Diego Maradona.

Argentina, Argentina!

Diego, Diego!

Come on, let's go!

After the defeat by Colombia,

there was a good chance

of not making the World Cup.

The last chance

was to beat the champions of Oceania in a playoff.

Who were they?

Australia.

Diego was selected just because they lost to Colombia.

If Argentina had beaten Colombia and qualified,

I doubt Diego would have gone to the World Cup.

He had to play the Australia games.

They say t voice of the people is the voice of God.

So Grondona and Basile had to choice but to select him.

Grondona was an important figure in FIFA.

And Australia was a baby in FIFA.

It was a continent

where football was just starting to develop.

So Grondona persuaded the Football Federation Australia

there was no need for doping controls.

So they played with no doping controls.

It's very suspicious there were no doping controls.

Very suspicious.

Diego had his background.

He'd had problems with drugs.

Argentina had to win these games.

So I leave it for people to guess why there weren't any controls.

We welcomed him with open arms.

I was proud of being there with him, being able to talk to him.

Wearing the national shirt.

Tackling these games together the best we could.

He was a guy who was thirsty for revenge.

Thirsty for glory.

It was totally contagious.

The center gets it away.

Maradona, he gets his first touch.

He influenced everything.

Made everything possible.

He made you believe anything was possible.

He spread that feeling everywhere among the fans, the media.

He influenced the referees.

It was a half-baked Maradona, not at his best.

Even so, it was enough,

it was his cross for Balbo's header

it meant we returned to Buenos Aires

with a draw in our pocket.

Champ, thank you.

I have to thank

all the people who made my return possible.

I have to thank them. Seriously.

Especially Grondona,

Coco and my teammates

for having me as part of the team again.

We scraped the second game in Argentina.

But we qualified.

It was really, really, really tight.

Hello, world. Welcome to the USA.

Hello, world. Welcome to the USA.

Hello, world. Welcome to the USA.

Part of my job is to make sure nothing gets past me.

And now onto Las Vegas and the final draw.

Live from Ceasar's Palace,

it's the 1994 FIFA World Cup final draw.

It came to the final draw

and we decided that we are going to actually have this in Las Vegas.

What more American experience,

good bad or indifferent, could you have

than an event in Las Vegas.

It really was a trial run for the entire tournament.

We wanted it to be bigger and better

and more impactful than any draw before it.

It is with great pride and humility

that I accept this trophy,

the most sought-after prize in the world of sports.

The global community have set the highest standards

for us to meet this summer.

The United States proudly accepts the challenge.

Here is the general secretary of FIFA, Sepp Blatter.

Really Alan Rothenberg and his team they made it great.

This is America, and this was something exceptional.

Please welcome actor and comedian Robin Williams.

Mr. Bladder, so nice to meet you after feeling you for so many years,

nice to have you.

Robin Williams was an amazing talent,

but the episode that everybody remembers

is him referring to Sepp Blatter as Sepp Bladder.

"DDER", not "TTER."

Robin, it's wonderful.

Or should I say Mrs. Doubtfire.

Oh, thank you, Mr. Bladder.

Funny I met you just in the men's room a minute ago.

I have to say, that was not so easy. Not so easy.

Across the nation,

America is getting ready

for the World Cup kick-off.

The police are preparing for the worst.

Hostile activity involve rock-throwing and bottle-throwing.

They're ready for hooligans

relieved that England and its fans are not coming.

Quite frankly, Alan Rothenberg was overjoyed

that England didn't qualify

and I think where he went right away

was that the security budget could be halved.

FIFA and the World Cup organising committee

took a very very strong proactive stance on the doping

procedures and the doping messaging.

In New York we had a seminar with all the participants

and then we went through everything

and doping was for sure also part of it.

They knew what was coming.

1988 Ben Johnson, it was the case.

And from then on FIFA took doping more serious than before.

And this is one of the merits of Sepp Blatter,

that he really took the problems seriously, you know.

Maradona was always news for one reason or another.

He'd disappeared somewhere for a couple of days.

Suddenly he turned up in Moreno.

So every TV station every media outlet

turned up to cover it with reporters.

Diego had gone to the villa

to get away from it all.

But the journalists found out he was there.

Diego asked me to tell them to leave him in peace.

But the exact opposite happened.

More appeared,

wanting to get inside.

We get to the villa in Moreno.

I shout, "Pelu, Pelu, it's me, Lito."

The gate opens, they let me in.

He's leaning on a Mercedes, holding an air-rifle.

I put my arms like this.

I say, "You know the chaos you're creating?"

He says, "I'll kill them all."

How long have you been here?

About half an hour.

-And the shooting hasn't stopped? -No.

They've been shooting since I arrived.

They hit me and his colleague.

Who was screaming?

Why attack us? We're just reporting.

I already said I don't want anyone here.

-You are injuring people. -And I'll keep on doing it.

I don't want you disturbing my daughters.

Diego, four people are injured.

Anyone who shouts will have to pay for it.

But Diego, why are you shooting journalists?

Behind the car?

It was 7 pm. Time for the evening news.

They sent a broadcast van.

They wanted to go live.

I climbed on the roof with my cameraman to go live.

The moment I began talking from the villa

they hit me with water from a high-pressure hose.

This is truly embarrassing. All we want is to speak.

That's a lie. The water didn't come down here.

It was a love-hate relationship.

The harassment drove him mad, but he couldn't live without it.

He asked me to prepare him for his last World Cup.

I replied "Listen Diego, you quit football.

You put on 26 pounds.

You're an addict."

He said, "No, I promise I can do it.

I'll quit everything to fulfill this dream."

We wanted to find somewhere so Diego could get in shape

to make it to the team.

We didn't want a place with lots of people,

with neighbours.

No "fun places."

He was fatter than his dad.

He says, "Where have you brought me? You son of a bitch."

He loved being Rocky. He trained to that song.

He had to concentrate.

He couldn't go out or have fun.

All the things known about Diego.

It's so quiet.

You don't hear anything here.

No one's around. No buses, no planes, nothing.

So you are able to relax.

I was aware withdrawal symptoms might hit at any time.

One night I heard a noise.

I turned and saw Diego at the door staring at me.

He gestured, "Let's go."

I was waiting for this moment.

A smoker without cigarettes at midnight

can run 6 miles to find some.

Cocaine is far more powerful.

"Let's run."

He sprinted and stopped, sprinted and stopped

to work through the pain and get better.

He'd left the cocaine in Buenos Aires.

He didn't have a milligram.

He wanted to face the music and be perfect for the World Cup.

We pushed each other: running, jumping.

Then suddenly he goes,

"That's it. That's it. Gone."

Romeo, Echo, November, Tango, Hotel,

Alpha, Lima,

We're after Simpson.

Male, black, 6-2, 210 pounds, 46 years old.

Subject made several calls in the last hour.

The opening of the World Cup happened to coincide

with one of the oddly high visibility events

that had happened in the US in decades

and that was the escape of OJ Simpson

from the scene of the alleged murder of his wife.

And the great chase of the white Bronco down the freeways of LA.

A man hunt is now under way in Los Angeles

at this hour for OJ Simpson.

The former football star

is now officially a fugitive from justice in a double murder case.

OJ Simpson was a hard hit for us

because when we saw it on TV and on the radio

and everybody, Americans, were all of a sudden

totally excited only about this.

Everybody was speaking about that, not about football.

We could have stopped football and nobody would have noticed.

And we saw on TV a reality show

like a movie, you know, the people in helicopters

and police cars hunting an American icon.

Over the top, onside!

Hassler ditched it inside!

Bolivian protests.

But only momentary and Jürgen Klinsmann...

One thing we knew but I don't think FIFA understood at all

was that the United States can deal with two huge stories in one day.

We knew that every nation in the world

that qualified for the World Cup,

everyone one of those teams in a sense would be a home team

on the day of their game.

Mexico!

The whole World Cup was a festival.

Don't forget this was a toxic time in football,

but USA '94 kind of purged all that.

It brought on a new joyful.

Let's just have the craic,

let's enjoy the game, let's enjoy the football.

The Ireland Italy game was one of the highlights of the tournament.

Italy v Ireland in East New Jersey, next door to Manhattan and Brooklyn.

That is the New York derby.

That is the battle for New York's soul.

And in the 11th minute, to everybody's amazement,

There is his shot. And it is a goal!

Ireland went ahead one nil and held on.

I don't even have to tell you what it was like

to be at the Abbey Tavern on 3rd Avenue.

I leave it to your imagination.

In the US, we stayed at Babson College.

A kind of hotel where the squad was based.

An amazing place with huge grounds

where players could see their families.

Adrian Paenza, good evening, live from Boston.

Can you hear me?

Yes, I can hear you clearly, Adrian.

Let me tell you. Approximately 35 minutes ago...

No... rather, exactly, Diego got on this running machine.

Supervised by coach Fernando Signorini and Alfio Basile,

the manager of the Argentinian team.

Also here in the gym are Marcos Franchi and his team

due to the importance of this special training.

There, go! That's it, go.

We spoke with Grondona and he told me, you know,

that it's a difficult situation.

Maradona has an entourage, a medical entourage,

and if you permit us

that he can have his medical team with

then we are happy and we will bear the costs also of this team.

His personal team at the World Cup

were basically Fernando Signorini, Marcos Franchi,

Daniel Cerrini and me.

I met Daniel Cerrini

when Diego called me

to start training.

He told me he knew a bodybuilder.

He's showing exceptional results.

Diego has never been trained properly.

Now we are working together in this new stage.

He's found the best way to improve his physique.

I quickly saw that Cerrini knew his own sport but about football

and footballers, he didn't have a clue.

Cerrini offered Diego

a way to get everything he wanted magically.

He told Diego, he'd magically have him

in the best shape ever for the World Cup.

Diego went crazy for that.

We went to the first training session

and I saw Maradona training.

I couldn't believe it. I'd seen Diego in the match against Australia

eight or nine months earlier.

His legs were flaccid,

his body seemed shrunken.

When I saw him training at Babson College he was unrecognisable.

Like a statue. It was amazing.

I want to ask how much you weigh?

I remember you before... But no, another question first.

You are happy, no?

Of course. I'm starting my 4th World Cup.

I want to tell Argentinians I am well.

I'm hungry to bring them joy along with the team.

If we don't work together, we won't win.

It was a spectacular group of players.

Everything

went so well in training.

Diego was everywhere.

He'd been the icon of the Argentinian team for fifteen years.

The most admired and respected player in the world.

Above all, a friend, who we knew had returned for his last World Cup.

If you ask me the highlight of my career...

I remember that match against Greece.

Him there, in front of me,

beginning a World Cup.

I couldn't believe it.

I had Maradona next to me.

The early break now for Argentina.

And they got three up and a spare man to the left.

The match begins and two minutes later I score.

Ugly. It was ugly, but it was a goal.

My first World Cup goal.

They had been playing just one minute and twenty seconds

and Argentina scored the softest of goals.

Everyone hugged me, even Maradona,

Caniggia, people I had watched on TV.

Nicely played on the left side.

That's the kind of passing that opens up defenses.

Everything was great.

The team was singing. The chemistry was perfect.

That's a good run.

Beautiful goal! Batistuta gets his second.

The team had an amazing set of strikers.

The team had absolutely everything, perfectly balanced.

What I remember best is Diego's goal.

Up and hits with the head.

Abel gets it when it bounces back. Pass to Redondo and Maradona.

Maradona to Caniggia, to Redondo and Maradona.

A half-circle. Shoot, goal!

One of the most beautiful World Cup goals.

Argentinian goal!

Diego Armando Maradona!

That scream he broke the fourth wall.

The guy went and screamed at the camera.

That's when I said, "We can be World Champions."

I don't remember any player seeking out a camera.

Maradona was the first.

Diego looking for the camera to say, "I'm alive.

Here I am, they didn't kill me. Here I am."

When he was in the camera, it was not the right Maradona.

He thought he is the best,

and if you are the best you don't tell it, you show it."

People said all sorts of things.

Diego's eyes were...

Well, of course they were.

In a moment of catharsis. He released everything.

An explosion that liberated him.

He told the world, "Here I am."

It was him, it was him!

Argentina was going to win.

With Maradona and the team on form.

It was an incredible team.

It was turning into a threat.

Diego was becoming a threat.

Maradona wouldn't stay quiet.

He'd made clear his support for Fidel Castro.

I have lovely memories of my time with Maradona.

He's been a great friend, very loyal.

I wish Argentina the greatest success.

Especially, Maradona.

In the US, this caused some discomfort.

Maradona lifting the World Cup, winning it

and dedicating it to Fidel Castro in the USA.

It was a delicate situation. Delicate.

Then what happened, happened.

Our second match was against Nigeria.

They had won their first match against Bulgaria

very easily.

We knew it was a difficult match.

We knew Nigeria's quality.

They hurt you, cause harm.

And they did, in the first few minutes.

There's Yekini for Nigeria.

Oh, he's got the number 12 in his access.

It's there!

And Nigeria take the lead against Argentina!

They kicked Diego, but he still wanted the ball.

I understood then what he was and his huge impact.

When kicked, he didn't stay down.

He got up and said, "Let's go."

He fought the referees, he fought the defenders.

He told us off.

He encouraged us.

And he also played.

I think it was his best match.

We were able to turn the game around.

I scored the first goal from a Batistuta free kick.

The second goal was spectacular.

Diego made a pass to me, but they'd blown for a foul.

I returned the ball.

I shouted, "Give it to me.

Quick, before they mark me."

I said, "You weren't looking.

I had to scream two or three times

and you didn't pass." He said, "Of course I saw you.

I was waiting for the others to come up."

It's true. To distract them.

Argentina win, win, win!

When we won two nurses appeared, two blondes.

One takes Diego, the other takes me.

I'd never seen two nurses appear before.

They came on the pitch and grabbed us

as if we were in kindergarten.

Diego.

Amazing.

Yes, thank God. He helped a lot.

I ran a lot, I played.

Thank God, He gave me these legs.

Also, thanks to all the work with Fernando.

I felt great out there, important.

The team needed me to have the ball.

This is for you guys, Argentines.

I love you all, and you too, Tota.

They walked off like sweethearts.

They were strolling like...

It looked like... love.

Like a romance going on down there.

All of us in the stands were out of our minds.

There was not the slightest suspicion.

No fear, dread, nothing.

For us it was a formality, completely normal.

Completely ordinary.

At the time I was not worried

because I thought that they are intelligent enough

that they don't give him substances

which are then visible in a doping control.

Especially not in the United States.

And then Grondona,

he changed colour...

he made

the sign of the cross and said...

"Que Dios nos proteja."

"God, protect us."

It was a random selection.

It could have been number 1, 20 or 15.

Out came number 10.

He peed one sample, then the second.

They were sealed before witnesses.

They noted the number and I signed.

It was so normal and quick.

We just wanted to get to the changing room.

To celebrate with the rest of the team.

We'd won another game. We were happy.

Diego, Diego. Come here. There he is.

Here, come here with Caniggia.

Come here with Caniggia.

The two of them. A kiss. Perfect. Wonderful.

Can I just say? I'm so happy

for you about today. So happy.

Thanks a lot, but I feel ten times happier

than you feel for me

that this man beside me

scored two goals and played as he did.

Yes, very generous, a real teammate.

Obviously, I had a special bond of friendship.

I've never met a guy so loved by his teammates

and respected and admired by his opponents.

We got a telex that there is a positive doping control...

and it concerns player number ten.

The world was falling down.

Joseph Blatter

called Grondona.

Grondona asked several times if they were 100% sure.

Grondona said, "I find it hard to believe

for someone to be that stupid.

It doesn't make sense.

Anyone, but not him."

We asked, ''How could this be?''

We'd worked so hard to get things right.

And now this surprise we knew nothing about.

Diego said nothing.

The only answer was Cerrini.

Cerrini was sitting on the bed, looking down reading a leaflet.

I asked, "What did you give him?"

He replied, "I don't know."

We went to his room.

We found piles of drug bottles.

Mostly from Argentina. Just one was from the US.

Cerrini was giving him a supplement,

"Ripped Fast," which was sold in Argentina.

But in the US they ran out of it.

You could buy it over-the-counter.

So they went to the chemist, GNC,

where they had something similar called "Ripped Fuel."

I started checking the contents.

It said, "Ephedrine 6%."

I said, "Here it is. It's ephedrine, he took ephedrine."

You need to remember...

Diego had had big problems with doping before.

He'd managed to recover from that.

I mean, for him it wasn't...

it wasn't the first time.

It wasn't a huge shock.

Though before it was that damned cocaine.

Julio Grondona told me, "You're off to Los Angeles.

Sample B should not be opened.

Do your best to save him."

When the plane landed, there was a van which took us to the lab.

I quickly worked out what would happen.

FIFA weren't there to support us.

We sat down.

Two doctors, who'd done the first test, were there.

They handed sample B to me.

The label had "Ephedrine" written on it.

So I said, "There's a serious mistake here.

This shouldn't say "Ephedrine", not in a blind trial.

No one should know before testing.

If you know what's in here, the sample is invalid.

The room erupted, people yelling at each other.

I didn't understand a word.

It ended with my asking...

for a recess to resolve the issue.

Sitting next to me, Bolotnicoff hit my leg.

He said, "We've fucked them. We've fucked them!"

We had to see that we follow the rules.

This was for FIFA very very important

for the credibility of FIFA

because if FIFA would have lost credibility in the United States

this would have been a disaster.

Havelange, President of FIFA, wanted to disqualify Argentina.

To annul the win over Nigeria so they'd be out of the tournament.

This was Havelange's plan.

Grondona told him, "If my team is sent home,

I'll start a criminal case against you

in the Swiss courts."

So Havelange told him to calm down.

"Neither of us should decide.

Let's leave it to the General Secretary, Joseph Blatter."

We made a meeting with Julio Grondona,

Joao Havelange and myself.

And Grondona was the man who said,

"We will deal with this case after the World Cup."

And I said to Havelange, en francais,

"on ne peut pas faire ça."

"We cannot do that, we cannot do that,

that's not possible.

If Maradona's positive again

it's a doping case

and he will be eliminated."

A rumour started in Dallas.

The team trained that afternoon.

We went to the session.

The rumour kept growing.

Diego was on the pitch but looking unhappy, alone.

The others interacted with him, but he wasn't part of the session.

The rumour kept growing.

Journalists were everywhere.

Who is the player?

The player is Diego Maradona.

-What's the substance? -Ephedrine.

-What is that? -From nose drops, Nastizol.

-Is Maradona the player? -Yes, it's Maradona.

What happens if it's confirmed?

We must wait.

The second test hasn't been completed.

Will the team or the player be punished?

Not the team.

A team is never punished during a World Cup.

-So Argentina won't lose points? -No, absolutely not.

Grondona could have defended Maradona differently.

There was an irregularity with the second test.

When the Argentinian lawyers arrived for the second test

the label of the sample had been tampered with.

The moment Maradona tested positive, Grondona knew

he had a choice.

A choice between Maradona and the FIFA Vice-Presidency.

He chose the FIFA Vice-Presidency.

And he hands over Maradona.

We entered Diego's room and I sat on the bed.

I don't know if he was sleeping or pretending.

And so I...

I stroked him as I often did, like you do a child.

A paternal gesture.

"Come on Diego, get up.

They've killed us. They've killed us."

I said "us",

so he didn't feel alone.

"They killed us, they killed us all."

So he'd feel supported.

He goes, "What happened?"

"No, no, it's over, you're out.

You're out and we're out."

We left.

A minute later we heard a shout,

a sigh and a thump."

Ladies and gentlemen, may I ask the photographers to sit down, please.

Quiet, please.

Ladies and gentlemen, FIFA General Secretary Sepp Blatter

will now open the media conference.

Blatter was not in a position to defend Maradona.

He was not in a position...

He defended Maradona during weeks and weeks.

He always said, "Our job is not to punish Maradona,

our job is to enable him to play football."

But once that he was tested positive you know it was a hopeless case.

And I think in this moment Blatter was standing firm.

Both analyses of the urine sample have proved to be positive.

The player Diego Maradona of the Argentinian national team

has therefore violated the provisions

of the doping control regulations

in the match Argentina-Nigeria.

I was not only sad, I was absolutely upset.

But it was my job.

It's also a lesson for my life.

The Argentina Football Association has informed this morning

the FIFA organising committee

that Diego Armando Maradona

has been withdrawn from the World Cup,

and until the case is finally settled

Diego Maradona remains suspended from all footballing activity.

It's really difficult to get close to a loud speaker.

to pick up the sound.

I think we'll have to translate.

It's really difficult, really uncomfortable...

There was a bar on Chacabuco and Estados Unidos.

About 30 people inside.

We were watching the TV.

Diego Maradona had tested positive.

No one said a single word.

I remember that terrible image of 30 people

unable to say a single word.

Watching what we never wanted to see.

It was hell.

Diego promising to dedicate the cup to Fidel Castro...

that's what did it.

-There were many, many things. -That was it.

Maradona stood strong, and they came back stronger.

What he stood for.

A guy who'd just quit drugs.

With all that meant in the States.

That he might win, be champion

and dedicate it to Fidel Castro.

And be a popular hero.

Those closest to Diego went to his room.

We cried and stayed a while.

Obviously, he was devastated, frustrated, helpless.

They even banned

a suspended player from staying with the team.

The thing I remember about the Bulgaria game

was the heat.

You literally melted.

The players were crawling about the pitch.

They couldn't respond.

They tried but...

You might think it was the heat.

But it wasn't the heat.

They were broken.

As if they'd been hit on the head with a hammer.

They came out dazed. Totally dazed.

That's a dangerous one!

Goal!

Bulgaria!

We wanted to win, but weren't ready.

After what we'd been through.

You play the same, you think the same.

You want to win, but you aren't ready.

Not yet. Something is missing.

The kick. Three Bulgarians waiting.

Goal!

Sirakov!

That result would never have happened

if not for the issue with Diego.

I'm sure about that.

Did you dope?

No. I swear on my daughters.

I promised my wife I wouldn't cry.

I promised my daughters, above all. I couldn't speak.

But...

one thing I want Argentinians to know...

I didn't dope.

It wasn't drugs, I ran with my heart and for the shirt.

Nothing else.

The belief he tested positive for cocaine is wrong.

He was determined to get to the World Cup and win it.

When he set his mind to something,

he did it.

He quit cocaine, alone, of his own free will.

How he did it, I don't know.

I have no idea how he managed. But he did.

Did the bosses support you?

That's a difficult subject.

A murky story.

I want to believe in Havelange and Blatter.

I want to believe, but after the penalty and now this...

they've left me unable to speak.

Neither good nor bad.

He attacked FIFA because he was finally disappointed by himself

and he was looking who is responsible.

And he said FIFA, it's easy.

I got here in this shape. I don't need drugs to play.

After the training I did, why would I need drugs?

Why would I, when I have Fernando and everyone?

I don't want...

I don't want to be dramatic, but they cut off my legs.

As the story unfolded,

one thought "This is so unfair!"

Because he had kicked cocaine, he was back in the game,

and yet got done for a weight-loss drug

which contained a prohibited substance.

So there was a kind of bitterness,

there was a bitter tragedy within the tragedy.

That Diego had kind of inspired and charmed and bedazzled

hundreds of millions of people over so many years,

and yet kind of like he tripped up on a pebble in the road.

He makes the pass.

Goal!

Romanian goal!

Watch out! Goal!

It was brutal for him.

Diego sat with Claudia and they were hugging.

It was a sad moment, full of pain for him. Both of them.

Hagi inside the box. Goal.

Goal from the Romanian team.

Romania 3, Argentina 1.

I turned to him and said, "Listen.

Stop whining.

There's time until the 1998 World Cup."

By then the addiction had damaged him.

The brutal treatment did the rest.

The phoenix couldn't rise from the ashes.

They cut off his wings. Well, in his case, his legs.

Maradona is a sort of metaphor for Argentina.

An unmatched capacity for recovery and self-destruction.

That's Argentina too.

A country with an unrivaled ability

for unmatched recovery and self-destruction.

You can begin to understand the Maradona phenomenon.

The Maradona phenomenon is the Argentina phenomenon.

I tried to be happy playing football and make you happy.

I think I managed it.

I didn't expect today.

This is too much.

Too much for one person, too much for a footballer.

I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Football is the world's most beautiful and healthy sport.

No one can question that.

If someone makes a mistake,

football shouldn't have to pay for it.

I made a mistake, I paid for it, but...

the ball cannot be stained.

Go, Boca!

Subtitles: Guillermina Usunoff plint.com