It was a welcome fit for a king.
Diego Maradona returned to Newell’s Old Boys on Tuesday, where he led current side Gimnasia to a shock 4-0 victory at the Estadio Marcelo Bielsa.
The Argentine, who turned 59 the following day, played only a few times for Old Boys, way back in 1993, but he was serenaded both outside the stadium and in – including hours before the match, at his hotel in Rosario.
Diego Maradona’s Gimnasia team visit Newell’s Old Boys tonight.
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) October 29, 2019
The Newell’s fans turned up in force to serenade him outside his hotel 🙌🎶 pic.twitter.com/JonXi14Avd
When he arrived at the ground, Maradona was presented on the touchline with a special chair, which he dutifully signed. He then nestled into his “throne” to watch his team, who were rooted to the bottom of the Argentine first division, record a memorable victory. With it, Gimnasia moved up one spot in the table.
Good grief, they’ve even given Diego a special chair to watch the game from. pic.twitter.com/V35GikNGgj
— MUNDIAL (@MundialMag) October 29, 2019
Television fans got a ringside view, too: to the World Cup winner himself, through a live “Diego Cam” that throughout the match streamed footage of the former forward.
Imagine the celebrations for his actual birthday on Wednesday …