Rivellino recalls friendship with Maradona: “He raised my profile” | OneFootball

A Corinthians icon, a Brazil national team legend, and one of the greatest players in football history, Roberto Rivellino recalled, in an exclusive interview with Central do Timão, the friendship he built with Diego Maradona over the years. The black-and-white star explained how he first learned of the Argentine’s admiration for his football, remembered remarkable meetings between the two, and spoke about the affection he received from the legendary attacking midfielder.

According to Rivellino, the first time he heard about Maradona was through César Luis Menotti, the coach who led Argentina to the 1978 World Cup title. At the time, the Brazilian was taking part in an event with a team made up of South American players when he received an invitation to meet the youngster who was beginning to emerge in Argentine football.

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“It was fantastic, right? Because one time I went to play a match in Paraguay. A mixed team of national squads, those South American things. And Menotti was the coach of that team. He came up to me and said, ‘Rivellino, there’s a kid who loves you.’ Maradona was just starting out. And there was a match in Argentina. He invited me. ‘Don’t you want to go play there?’ Wouldn’t you like to? I said, well, I would, but I can’t, Menotti… Unfortunately, I’m not going to be able to go to Argentina.”

As the years went by, the two eventually grew closer. Rivellino revealed that he always noticed a great deal of admiration from the Argentine, something that became evident in several of their meetings.

“And he really had a kind of affection for me that was unbelievable. He was sitting here, the three of us, talking. He would talk to Maradona and Maradona would just be like this… looking at me (laughs).”

“I went on a show there in 2014, in Rio, and Maradona had a show in Venezuela. And he invited me, the host was there, then he did the opening, the host tossed it over, and it was just me and him, talking. Suddenly, the guy turned around and said time was up. So we ended up talking for more than an hour,” he recalled.

“It was incredible. And he had so much affection for me, he hugged me, kissed me… I know how far I went. Maradona, I think he elevated my name even more.”

Remembering the friendship he built with the Argentine star, Rivellino made a point of highlighting Maradona’s human qualities, in addition to the talent he showed on the pitch.

“He was a wonderful person. I was at a Carnival with him, and he would go crazy. But he was such a great guy. A really good person. It’s a shame, a shame he’s gone. And could he play, right? He really could play.”

The former player also commented on the comparisons often made between Maradona and Pelé. For Rivellino, despite the Argentine’s genius, the King of Football holds a unique place in the sport’s history, and he even told the Argentine star that himself.

“So I even told him: ‘Don’t go comparing yourself to Pelé, forget Pelé. Forget Pelé. Pelé is from another world, forget it. But you played a lot, Maradona.’ He really did. Just like Messi plays a lot. Cristiano Ronaldo has a type of game I respect, but don’t like that much. I prefer Messi and Maradona. The way they play.”

In remembering Maradona, Rivellino highlighted not only one of the greatest players he ever saw in action, but also the friendship he maintained with the Argentine until the final years of his life. For the Corinthians idol, the affection shown by Argentina’s number 10 remains one of the most special memories of his football journey.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.