If you are a brother, come and play football

Chapter 298 The Last King of Naples (Please Subscribe)

Maradona got up, lowered his head, and walked back.

His life has not been smooth sailing.

1978 belonged to Argentina, to Kempes, but not to Maradona.

Menotti's decision to let Maradona go at 17 prevented him from becoming a World Cup champion at the same age as his idol Pelé.

A year later, he won the MVP award and lifted the trophy as captain at the Tokyo World Youth Championship, but it couldn't make up for Maradona's regret.

Once you miss an opportunity in life, it's gone forever. After that, his pursuit of football became even more extreme.

After joining Boca Juniors, he would always end up with a mediocre finisher after several other signings.

It means not only to conquer everything, but to conquer everything perfectly.

He made it impossible for anyone to say no to the name Diego Armando Maradona.

He worked very hard today and played a good game.

But a score of 3-1 made him feel that he was becoming mediocre.

Even Maradona admitted that it makes no difference whether you score a goal by dribbling past Baresi and Viljoward and lose the game, or you win by luck and score a penalty and lose the game.

The greatest tragedy of football is that it is all about winning and losing, but football is also all about winning and losing.

Maradona certainly knew that some runners-up and losers would be remembered forever, but he didn't want to be one of them.

When he joined Barcelona, ​​he said that the Spanish giants offered a high price because he played well, and his skills were priceless.

Maradona was just that arrogant.

If Maradona heard Song Shixiong call him "Little Pelé" during the 82 World Cup commentary, he'd probably fly over there to cause trouble.

Looking down doesn't mean he's admitting defeat.

It's just to accumulate more energy for the next time you look up.

……

Napoli restarted their attack.

The substitutes were already standing on the sidelines, warming up.

After a few passes, Maradona was still in charge of receiving the ball.

Despite his weight gain, Maradona's footwork remained remarkably agile.

This extraordinary skill has become ingrained in his body; it's a completely subconscious act.

When dribbling the ball, Maradona would look at the players instead of the ball; he was a born master of strategic maneuvering.

By anticipating the opponent's intentions and then counterattacking, it always seems like you're one step ahead of your opponent.

Baggio didn't have a good solution against Maradona either; he tried to lower his center of gravity.

But in the end, they still had to stick their feet out and force the ball.

Just as Baggio stretched out his leg, Maradona flicked the ball forward, forcing his way past Baggio.

"Maradona still maintained his old habits when he played. In the past, tackles from behind were not strictly punished, and these technically skilled players would let the ball go out of their control, using consecutive dribbling maneuvers to reduce touches and lower the risk of being tackled. Although the rules have been changed, ingrained playing habits cannot be changed so easily."

Krudelli explained to the fans.

Maradona's ball control made it too easy for him to keep the ball at his feet.

However, when breaking through on the wing, he is still willing to knock the ball out and then chase after it.

Albertini quickly moved to the wing to cover.

However, Maradona quickly cut inside and then flicked the ball back, twice in quick succession to deceive Albertini and continue his run down the wing.

As for Costacurta, he simply chose to eat him raw with speed.

Maradona almost instantly broke through Milan's right flank and crossed the ball from the byline.

Alfred Agletti is 1.9 meters tall, and when he jumps up using his momentum, Milan's defense really can't stop him.

At the crucial moment, Buffon rushed out of the goal and punched the ball away with one fist, finally averting the crisis.

This striker's goal-scoring ability is far less impressive than his role as a target man.

During the live broadcast, Krudelli said, "Aglietti's shooting ability is not up to Serie A standards, but his role as a target man is quite good. If you expect him to score against Serie A teams, you're dreaming. This striker has scored very few goals against Serie A teams, but he scores quite a few against lower-level teams in the Italian Cup."

In just a few simple words, the characteristics of this striker were highlighted.

He wasn't a goal scorer in Napoli's system at all.

Not every 1.9-meter striker has the same footwork as Van Basten.

His relatively slow pace and adjustment make it difficult for him to find shooting opportunities against slightly better defenders.

This also shows that Naples is not in a good situation.

Agletti only received an $80 transfer request in the summer. With Italian residency fees soaring, this price is hard to assess, and relegation-threatened teams will also put some effort into the striker position.

Maradona didn't complain; he gave a thumbs-up and ran back.

The ball is still inside the center circle in Milan's half.

Redondo was positioned further back, so he was a bit slower going up.

However, Altomar was very fast and got there first. Totti was a step too slow to adjust when he got the ball, and Altomar intercepted it.

The little prince immediately reached out and pulled the other person.

Altomar clearly knew that Totti was not easy to deal with, and after receiving the ball, he immediately passed it across to Turini.

Turini took the initiative to receive the ball and quickly passed it out before it even stopped.

Maradona, who had just run back, got the ball again, and Wiljoward immediately pressed to intercept it.

Maradona raised his right foot to feint, then flicked the ball in the opposite direction, sending a through ball. Unfortunately, as Turini moved forward, he was tightly blocked outside the penalty area by Baresi, who came to cover, and the ball rolled all the way out of the penalty area.

Kareca, standing in the stands, clenched his fists tightly.

He has already transferred to play in Japan, but he is no longer a regular starter there.

However, I still took a day off specifically to watch the game.

Seeing Maradona isolated and helpless, the former top scorer of the 86 World Cup felt a pang in his heart.

Careca, who always considered Maradona a brother, really didn't want to see this scene.

Even if Maradona has declined, he's still no worse than Argentine newcomers like Veron.

However, his salary meant that Napoli couldn't bring in Veron's teammates, which may be the biggest dilemma for a superstar at the end of his career.

Accumulating enough fame leads to a sufficient salary.

But if you're paid several times more than others and only perform like a top-tier star, then the team has already lost.

If his physical condition allows, Careca would even be willing to return to Napoli and play with Maradona for free.

Unfortunately, at 36, he is no longer young.

……

In the 68th minute, Napoli used their first substitution.

Nicola Kaccia replaced Agletti.

The only thing that left a lasting impression on people was that he later became a member of Montella's coaching staff at AC Milan.

The Napoli players also took the opportunity to go to the sidelines to replenish their fluids.

This substitution came at a good time.

The afternoon sun was too strong.

Lu Deyang was alright; he simply rinsed his mouth, threw away the water bottle, and returned to the field.

He hadn't really exerted himself much in the second half.

Napoli players played with incredible intensity; they fought even harder for a 50-50 goal than Milan.

The substitution is complete, and Maldini takes the free kick from the backfield.

He had no other thoughts; he simply passed the ball forward to Lu Deyang.

Beto came up quickly, but hesitated to put his foot down.

Lu Deyang simply started pedaling the bicycle right in front of him, pedaling continuously.

Milan players made rapid forward runs upon seeing this.

Beto, who had been retreating, couldn't withstand the pressure and stretched out his left foot.

This time, Lu Deyang didn't brush the ball with his right foot; instead, he flicked it with the outside of his foot and started moving.

Snapped,
The ball rolled diagonally toward the center, and Lu Deyang burst past Beto in a flash.

Totti had already refused to receive the pass in the middle, a move that made Bodin hesitate, fearing that Ludjohn would pass the ball directly.

In the instant the other party was thinking, Lu Deyang flicked his left foot and then pulled back.

A cow tail tricked Bodin into running towards Totti.

Although it was only one step, he couldn't continue to defend. Lu Deyang, who had the ball, flicked his right ankle and passed the ball to the left side, continuing to dribble forward on the wing.

Baldini made almost no hesitation and slid in to tackle Lu Deyang head-on.

This full-back knew that indecisiveness against Lu Deyang was a slow death.

However, such an obvious tackle is unlikely to have any effect whatsoever.

click -

Lu Deyang flicked the ball with his foot, sending both himself and the ball flying over Baldini.

A cheer erupted at the São Paulo stadium.

Colonnis had no choice but to come up and try to suppress Lu Deyang, allowing Lu Deyang to continue dribbling down the wing.

A narrower angle means fewer choices.

Lu Deyang suddenly stepped forward with his right foot, adjusted his center of gravity, and then struck with the inside of his left foot.

*Snap* - Colonis, who thought Lu Deyang was going to continue dribbling, took a step forward, which just made room for Lu Deyang.

Lu Deyang passed the ball laterally from behind his right foot into the penalty area with his left foot.

Van Basten started very quickly; the old guy had a very precise grasp of timing.

Unfortunately, the Napoli goalkeeper realized the danger and simply ran out of the goal to dive and smother the ball.

Sacchi, who was originally preparing to celebrate, swung his arm back fiercely.

He really thought he was about to score.

"Marco, shouldn't Marco retire?"

Sacchi joked.

Marco Tardelli rolled his eyes and said, "Actually, we don't need a striker like Van Basten. Totti has taken on some of the pivot role. Our strikers only need to make runs to harass the opponent's defense and have a very keen sense of goal. We don't need such well-rounded individual abilities."

Saki nodded.

This is also a problem he's considering.

Milan's attacking quartet has a high level of Ballon d'Or winners, with Van Basten alone having three.

However, it may not be the best choice.

Fortunately, Van Basten is about to retire.

Otherwise, he would need to find an opportunity to purge the team's key players.

No matter how outstanding a star player is, they cannot avoid a decline towards the end of their career.

To reiterate, coaches don't like a star player who is high-paid and has a high status but is difficult to manage; they would rather use a player who is less paid, more obedient, and slightly less capable than him.

If it weren't for the fact that the team's veterans were retiring...

Sacchi won't play any games with them; he'll launch a major purge last summer.

It's his last season, so there's no need for him to be the villain.

It seems they still have some stamina and can finish this season.

A few minutes later, Milan launched another counterattack.

Lu Deyang had no way to counter on the left flank, and Maradona could only frequently come over to cover.

“Dejan’s Genoa turn is a large and very smooth movement. Plus, he’s tall and has long legs, so sometimes he can even get past two players and pass the ball! Most importantly, Dejan’s Genoa turn can cover his pass, and we rarely see other players replicate that.”

"Totti received the ball in the middle and advanced. Napoli's central defense was very tight today, but Totti has the ability. Dejan made a forward run and reached out his hand, but I didn't think he wanted the ball. Sure enough, Totti took the opportunity to break through Bodin and lobbed the ball from the edge of the box. Oh, just a little short, the ball went over the crossbar."

"Totti himself mentioned this in an interview. Influenced by Dejan, he started trying mid-range lob shots and found that this shooting method suited him very well. As a player with good physique and strength, Totti is very proficient at lob shots from outside the penalty area, and he can always calculate the distance and how much power to use."

"Milan's relentless attacks have put a lot of pressure on Napoli, and it looks like the home team will likely lose by a large margin today." Napoli fans watching on TV were also worried about this.

Maradona doesn't look well; he's too tired.

Today, Maradona was omnipresent on both offense and defense, which caused him to frequently put his hands on his knees and gasp for breath after just 70 minutes of running.

Even through the television screen, one can imagine how heavy his breathing must be.

After a short rest, Maradona returned to his position.

He was still in a state of high spirits, wishing he could play for another three days and three nights, but his body's protests made the legendary player realize that he probably couldn't continue for the entire match.

As for playing football while strolling around, that's not his style.

Napoli used their second substitution, with Roberto Policano replacing Claesson, who had a relatively quiet day.

This was the player's twelfth appearance for Napoli against Milan. Roberto Policano lowered his head and stroked the turf, hoping for good luck in scoring his first goal against AC Milan.

Scoring goals is not easy for a full-back, and he is not the type of defender who can score goals.

However, this Italian full-back still hopes to give Maradona a real victory this time.

Policano, who played for Napoli for a long time, is well aware of Maradona's significance to the city.

Roberto Policano immediately received a pass back from Bodin in the backfield, and the full-back dribbled forward on the left flank.

Aside from a few attempts by Maradona to target Ludjohn's side in the opening stages, Napoli's attacks mostly targeted Baggio's side.

After all, Baggio had Costacurta behind him, not Maldini.

As Turini ran forward, he kept a close eye on his position, creating space to support his teammates using the width of the field.

Baggio had a bit of a temper.

This time, Baggio simply opted for a sliding tackle, which conveniently sent the ball out of bounds.

The aggressive Napoli campaign was abruptly interrupted.

Policano stood outside the touchline to observe.

Lu Deyang and Totti also came to the vicinity to defend the throw-in.

Milan's defense against Maradona was very tight, so he could only throw the ball to Altomar. Altomar was a bit anxious when he passed the ball, and he tried to pass it to the defense from near the halfway line. This through pass was blocked by Costacurta.

Costacurta quickly passed the ball forward, and Albertini, who was still on the wing, received the ball with his back to goal. As he turned, Thurini had already rushed up to press him.

Albertini turned sideways and tapped his foot with the outside of his foot, finding Lu Deyang in front of him.

Seeing this, Totti quickly ran forward.

Lu Deyang received the ball facing the sideline and flicked it with his left foot, avoiding Baldini's outstretched foot. He then turned and pulled with his left foot, causing Maradona to miss again.

Having already faced Napoli in the second half, Lu Deyang flicked the ball forward.

Snapped--

The ball and the player passed each other.

Lu Deyang then started charging forward.

The terrifying explosive power was displayed instantly.

There were three defenders near Maradona and Ludjohn.

However, in just one explosive moment, he rushed to the center line, with only Maradona still by Lu Deyang's side.

Lu Deyang knocked the ball away again.

Even while running, the body leans forward.

This action made Crudelli's eyes widen.

"Dejan's dribbling style is like Maradona's. Maradona is still chasing back, while Colonnis is pressing forward outside the penalty area."

The defender opted to extend his leg with his back to goal, but Lu Deyang saw his movement and immediately flicked the ball with his right foot, sending it from the right flank towards the center, bypassing the other side of Colonies.

The tall defender instantly lost his chance to defend.

A collective gasp filled the São Paulo stadium.

Faced with this familiar yet unfamiliar scene, Napoli fans didn't even know how to express their feelings.

Just outside the penalty area, Burgos immediately abandoned Totti and rushed towards Ludjohn.

They wanted to double-team Colonel, who was chasing back.

Boggs' movements were exaggerated, even involving his hands.

Lu Deyang gently tapped the ball again, jumping over the opponent's foot while breaking free from Bogues' hand.

He received the ball again just outside the penalty area and charged into the box, leaving only Colonis chasing back.

Pocarino, who had just come on, also rushed towards Lu Deyang.

One of Napoli's defensive lines had no other players in sight.

Goalkeeper Giuseppe Tagliaratra rushed out of the penalty area and quickly fell to the ground. Lu Deyang, who had anticipated this, flicked the ball slightly with his left foot and then took a step forward with his right foot, avoiding the goalkeeper who was sitting on the ground.

Many Napoli fans have already closed their eyes.

Colonnis tried to steal the ball from behind, but finding no opportunity, the defender gritted his teeth and opted for a sliding tackle.

Snapped--

But in that instant, Lu Deyang had already kicked the ball out. Colonis, who was lying on the ground, realized the problem, but he couldn't control his foot and still knocked Lu Deyang down. The ball rolled all the way into the empty goal.

beep—

Collina reacted very quickly.

He immediately blew his whistle and pointed to the center circle to indicate that the goal was valid. He then immediately blew his whistle again, pulled out a red card, and raised it high towards Colonnis.

They didn't give the Milan players a chance to cause trouble.

At that moment, both sets of fans were cursing.

Rossoneri fans were worried about Ludjohnsen getting injured, while Napoli fans were unhappy about the player being sent off.

"Dejan is up, thank God!"

"Fortunately, Dejan was not injured. Dejan scored a Maradona-esque goal at the São Paulo stadium. I say this because Dejan's dribbling was full of Maradona style."

"As I mentioned earlier, players born in the 60s tend to tap the ball away and reduce dribbling. However, Dejan doesn't have this habit. Even with the change in the rules for tackling from behind, Dejan prefers to keep the ball at his feet or simply tap the ball away hard to outpace opponents with his speed. He doesn't like to use frequent, small-amplitude dribbling maneuvers, which is a typical characteristic of players born in the 60s. So even though Dejan has scored quite a few solo goals, I would say it's a Maradona-esque goal."

“Scoring a goal in the Maradona style at the San Paolo Stadium was clearly not Dejan's way of provoking his opponents, but rather an expression of respect. The applause from the Napoli fans at the stadium proved that they understood this.”

"What's interesting is that Maradona chased back all the way, but he couldn't keep up when he got to the penalty area. I mentioned this in the first half as well; it's unlikely that Maradona will last more than 70 minutes today. Luigi Simone has already discussed with Maradona whether to make a substitution, but Maradona seems to have rejected his suggestion."

……

This guy!
Maradona also did not see Lu Deyang as a provocation.

I was even happy to see that goal.

But none of this is a reason for him to admit defeat.

He was indeed running out of energy, but Maradona wanted to persevere a little longer.

There are times when people need to challenge themselves.

Even if they can't finish the game, playing for a few more minutes would be good.

Even though there were still many games left in the season, Maradona stubbornly believed that this was the end of the season.

For him, nothing else mattered as much as the showdown with Lu Deyang.

The veterans in the stands also felt a bit regretful.

This was never a fair match to begin with.

If Maradona had been born ten years later and joined a wealthy club like Juventus or Inter Milan, whether they could have won or not, at least the situation wouldn't have been so difficult.

Maradona created many opportunities today, but his teammates squandered a lot of them.

Even the king of football needs his own wingman.

After the restart, Maradona still received the ball and went to Baggio.

Just like Don Quixote, it continues to batter the spinning windmill.

Again!
Baggio felt angry, but also helpless and touched.

After all, he, who almost retired early, could understand Maradona's frustration.

However, this is not a reason for him to go easy on the opponent.

Baggio continued to steadily and methodically approach Maradona, maintaining his center of gravity.

The inability to defend is a matter of ability.

Not playing defense is an attitude problem.

Two top stars faced off, with Maradona easily dribbling past Baggio twice in a row.

Albertini went up very quickly this time.

However, Maradona changed his attacking tactics, suddenly moving towards the center to avoid Albertini.

Seeing this, Redondo quickly moved forward to press and seize the opportunity.

Maradona didn't insist on playing, and instead made a direct pass to Kaccia, who had just come on as a substitute.

Kaccia received the ball with his back to goal but was pinned down by Viljoward and unable to turn. However, Maradona had already made a forward run, and Kaccia quickly passed the ball across to Maradona.

Maldini immediately pounced on the ball.

Maradona, with the ball, cut inside and moved to the wing.

The attack that started on Milan's right flank then moved to Milan's left flank, with Maradona in possession of the ball throughout.

The fans in the nearby stands felt a sense of desolation.

On Maldini's side, Maradona couldn't break through so easily.

He dribbled the ball toward the corner flag, clearly exhausted.

Maldini carefully pressed forward, and when he found an opportunity, he quickly extended his right foot.

Maradona finally smiled as the Argentine turned to the side, allowing Maldini to kick him in the heel.

beep—

"Maradona won a free kick in a bad position; he really played hard today."

"This position shouldn't pose much of a threat; perhaps trying to lob the ball into the penalty area would be more effective."

Maradona himself stood at the spot where the foul occurred.

He did try to cut inside, but he was really too tired to run anymore.

Maldini is not an easy defender to deal with.

He knew that this location near the corner flag was very bad, with a very narrow angle.

The most sensible thing to do is to treat this free kick as a corner kick.

But he was still unwilling to give up and wanted to try.

This might be his last chance to attack today.

Feeling a burning pain in his lungs, Maradona knew he couldn't hold on any longer.

However, he did not regret his previous indulgence, after all, he had also found happiness.

The only thing he regretted was that he shouldn't have touched that thing.

He patted his cheeks with both hands, then rubbed his rough face hard, forcing himself to calm down and stop thinking about the past.

Diego Maradona struggled to catch his breath.

But he couldn't help but recall the disappointment of not being selected for the national team in 1978.

Perhaps it's because it's somewhat similar to the current situation?
call--

Ignoring the cheers from the crowd, Maradona exhaled a breath of stale air, took a running start, and then kicked out with his left foot.

boom--

Curve shot!
However, it is rotating closer to the point.

Buffon knew immediately that this was bad; his mother was aiming directly at the goal.

Buffon, who was already standing outside the goal, quickly jumped up and stretched out his fists. Unexpectedly, the ball came faster than he thought. Before he could adjust his posture, the ball hit his hands and bounced into the goal.

Seeing this, Maradona, who was standing near the corner flag area, jumped over the advertising boards and waved his arms wildly, as if he had won the whole world.

(End of this chapter)