Opinion | World Cup: Diego Maradona’s Argentina antics are a middle finger to Lionel Messi – he’s making a fool of himself
Messi and his teammates have enough pressure on their shoulders already in Russia, and the Argentina icon is becoming a distraction
Diego Maradona has always had a reputation for antics and controversy, but after his latest unseemly episode it may be best for him to take a break from football – for his own sake.
Argentina may have dramatically secured qualification for the last 16 of the World Cup by beating Nigeria 2-1 with a late winning goal from Marcos Rojo, but it was “El Diego” who stole the show once again.
Maradona, famed for his “Hand of God” goal that saw off England in the 1986 World Cup quarter-finals, celebrated Rojo’s strike with typical gusto by putting two middle fingers in the air up in his executive box at the St Petersburg Stadium, while shouting an obscene insult.
The television cameras had been cutting to him all night, and for good reason – the legend was box-office as usual, dancing with a female Nigeria fan and crossing his arms over his chest in a bizarre Dracula-style gesture when Lionel Messi scored the opening goal.
But none of this was too out-of-the-ordinary for Maradona – it was what happened after the match that was worrying.