OK, maybe the title of this post is a little exaggerated. Diego Maradona will remain a symbol for Argentina and for all Latin America, his gestures on a football field will remain in all memories and he will probably remain as one of the best, if not the best player of history. OK. But these days, not only his image and his extra football behavior, but also his football capacities have been put into question. First, because of the extreme difficulties and the poor game his team has played in the recent months. For a 70% of the Argentineans  he is not the best choice to lead Argentina during the World Cup. And most of Argentineans wanted him to be sanctioned because of his insults against journalists.

But the worst would come. El Pais revealed that deep links exist between Maradona and one of his favorite players, Gabriel Heinze (who currently plays for Olympique de Marseille). The Spanish newspaper notices that many Argentineans wonder why Heinze keeps being selected if he is not at his best. The ex defender of Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid is one of the players Maradona has selected most. And the answer could lay in a company Heinze and his brother founded.

Passion unlimited is a marketing and event company which promotes the image of football players. Among them: Diego Maradona… El Pais got the testimony of the president of an Argentinean club: “When Maradona had nothing more [in 2006], he was just separated from his wife, Heinze’s brother led him to India for lectures. It gave him one million dollars. Then they organized exhibition games, it was a very successful business.”

The newspaper even talk about a debt Maradona has with Heinze and his brother. At the same time, some players like Juan Roman Riquelme suffer from his enmity. Diego (who has also been banned for two months by the FIFA for his insults) will need very good results to face these growing critics. Because idols –and especially Maradona – know they can be down at any moment. Even if a fallen idol is still a god.

Según una nota publicada por el Diario El País de España, con la firma de Diego Torres, Diego Maradona sería cliente de una firma de Marketing, cuyo dueño es el hermano de Gabriel Heinze, Sebastián. El artículo da a entender que este sería el motivo por el cual, el Gringo, de muy bajo nivel, es el futbolista que más minutos disputó con la albiceleste bajo el mando de Diego.

Aparentemente, cuando el DT de la Selección se divorció de Claudia Villafañe, esta empresa habría sido la encargada de realizar varias de las giras que hizo Maradona por el mundo, y los encargados de pasear al Showball por distintos puntos del país y de toda América. Por esto, la nota habla de una “deuda de gratitud” para con los Heinze.

Llama la atención que esta nota se publique en este momento de revuelo que vive la figura de Diego Maradona, y que además sea publicada en un diario español. Sobre todo con lo ávidos que están los medios argentinos de pegarle al DT de la Selección, y siendo una empresa argentina, que tal como dice en su portal trabaja con algunos medios de nuestro país, como Fox Sports, TyC y el diario La Nación.

Con mucho olor a oportunismo, irrumpe esta noticia desde España, a dos días del partido amistoso con la Selección de ese país.

Links Relacionados

El País: Maradona es cliente de Heinze

La empresa de Sebastián Heinze: Passion Unlimited

La foto pertenece a El Pais

“Sono cinque anni che non prendo droghe e che non frequento discoteche, forse anche di più. La mia vita è la nazionale argentina”: Diego Armando Maradona si confessa così in un’intervista alla rete tv Canal 7 di Buenos Aires.  “Se la seleccion rimaneva fuori dal mondiale il primo ad essere ‘fucilato’ sarei stato io”, ha sottolineato il ct, commentando le difficoltà avute dall’Argentina per qualificarsi ai Mondiali in Sudafrica, ‘passaporto’ giunto solo dopo la sofferta vittoria per 1-0 contro l’Uruguay.

“Ho dato tutto per la nazionale, sia come giocatore sia come allenatore”, ha precisato il ‘pibe’ nell’intervista, rilasciata prima delle notizie sulla decisione Fifa, ammettendo d’altra parte che parlerà con alcuni degli uomini chiave della nazionale (Diego ha citato Leo Messi, Juan Sebastian Veron, Javier Mascherano e Gabriel Heinze) in merito  al rendimento deludente della nazionale nelle partite di qualificazione ai mondiali del 2010. Maradona ha inoltre difeso a spada tratta il presidente  della federcalcio argentina (Afa), Julio Grondona, nei confronti  – ha precisato – di imprenditori dei media locali “i quali hanno cercato di appropriarsi della Afa”, accusando invece il manager della nazionale, Carlos Bilardo, di aver partecipato ad  un complotto per destituire Grondona.

Have you ever looked at the lyrics to that song? They’re mildly retarded:

Ce sont les meilleures équipes

(Those are the best teams)

Sie sind die allerbesten Mannschaften

(Those are the best teams)

The main event

Die Meister

(The Champions)

Die Besten

(The best)

Les Grandes Équipes

(The biggest teams)

The Champions

Une grande réunion

(A big gathering)

Eine große sportliche Veranstaltung

(A big sports event)

The main event

Ils sont les meilleurs

(They are the best)

Sie sind die Besten

(They are the best)

These are the champions

These are th- Well, you get the point.

Anyways – as promised, here’s what happened in this week’s Champions League group matches. All of them. Even the boring ones. Sorta. You’re welcome:

Juventus 1-1 Bordeaux – Where was the Juventus who has been playing well enough to top the Serie A tables these past few weeks? Where is the exciting football they have been peddling since August? I will tell you where – sitting on the bench with a knock to the thigh. Juventus badly missed their trequartista yesterday, and struggled to get into the game, drawing against a French club at home for only the second time in European Competition - their record against French sides now stands at 9-1-2 on Italian soil. Sebastian Giovinco, who replaced Diego in the lineup, was unable to replicate the attacking danger that the Brazilian affords to his side – not for any lack of skill, of course, but the small-statured Formica Atomica simply does not possess the power in his slight frame to muscle aside defenses as does the Brazilian. Juventus struggled to gain any ground against a Bordeaux side that looked determined to get ahead – they settled for making fast breaks between large intervals of Bordeaux possession for the first half an hour or so. It was only a precision strike from right boot of Vincenzo Iaquinta that finally separated the Bianconeri from the visitors on 62′. However, the Girondins would not say die, and not twelve minutes later equalized via a Jaroslav Plašil tap-in. Though Juve pressed for the win in the last quarter-hour (with Claudio Marchisio smashing the crossbar before Poulsen volleyed the rebound over), Plašil’s timely goal ensured that Bordeaux went home with a well-deserved point.

AC Milan 2-1 Marseilles – What is it about Champions League that can bring the best out in a team that has struggled so much lately? Perhaps SuperPippo knows, as it was the veteran striker’s brace, scoring on both sides of halftime, that lifted the Rossoneri clear of Didier Deschamps squad. Milan took the lead on 27 minutes, with Gabriel Heinze equalizing for the home side on 49′ – but Pippo was not done yet. Milan seemed artless at times, and for much of the game appeared to be simply content to weather the storms of Marseilles (figuratively and literally; both teams were battered by heavy rain). However, there were moments of true genius, especially from Clarence Seedorf, who twice supplied Filippo Inzaghi with picture-perfect crosses – which the experienced poacher unhesitatingly redirected into the back of the net. I find it very ironic that in a time when Milan is much maligned for their aged squad and lack of youth, they have managed to bounce back and win their first Champions League match – carried on the back of two old veterans who’ve still got what it takes.

For those of you who missed the joke.

Real Madrid 5-2 FC Zurich – The scoreline would suggest that Madrid strolled their way to a comfortable victory in Zurich – but numbers do not tell the whole story. In truth, Madrid’s defense is still closer in substance to the local cheese than a solid back line, and Los Merengues had to fight through a second half scare that saw Zurich score two goals in as many minutes and reduce the Men in White’s lead to a lonely goal. Madrid would have left the pitch after the first half very confident – and rightfully so. A laser beam free kick from Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring (thanks to a poor effort by Zurich keeper Johnny Leoni), with Higuan and Raul making it 3-0 before the half. The tide began to turn when Xabi Alonso limped off on 55′, and soon after Iker Casillas conceded a penalty on 63′, bringing down Alexandre Alphonse – Xavier Magairez stepped up to the spot and duly buried it. Not two minutes later, on a corner kick for the home side, Ronaldo failed to mark Sylan Aegerter, who saw his header into the goal and halved his side’s deficit. However, CR9 would have his revenge on 89 minutes, as Johnny Leoni again failed to stop his ferocious right boot, though this time the keeper truly should have caught it. Adding insult to injury was Guti, who scored three minutes into injury time to give his side a three-goal lead and bring the final tally up to a deceptively lopsided 5-2 win. Zurich put up a fight to be proud of, though the score doesn’t necessarily represent it. Real Madrid will be happy with their attack force, but as for the rest of the squad – Actually, who am I kidding, it’s all an attack force. Crazy Galacticos.

Chelsea 1-0 Porto – Injuries and Suspensions. If you asked Carlo Ancelotti why he chose the squad he did yesterday, you would get those two words as an answer. Three of his seven substitutes were players fresh from the academy – though oddly, Gael Kakuta didn’t make his UEFA debut. Too soon? I hope not. Other than that, there’s really not too much to say about this one, though let me say this: Chelsea were clearly superior. The Dragões fought with a lot of heart against the EPL-leading side, but a strike from Nicolas Anelka early in the second half and a late-game send off for Fernando saw the Blues take all three points from their visitors at Stamford Bridge. Anelka did well in scoring to for his side to fill the shoes of the on-fire Didier Drogba, who, missing the match through suspension, provided Chelsea with their biggest question mark. Who would score if not Didier? So quickly forgotten are Anelka’s 19 goals in 2008/09 – the highest tally in the EPL last year. Luckily for Blues fans, Anelka was quick to remind them, and Chelsea can look ahead with 3 points under their belt.

Manchester Utd 1-0 Besiktas JK – No team is a weak team with the full force of their home support behind them. That’s what the first 60 minutes of last night’s game in Istanbul taught Six Alex Ferguson & Co – though I’m sure it’s a tune they’ve heard before. The Red Devils squeaked by a lively Besiktas side on a one-goal margin, finding the Turks to be more than a handful in the process – it is notoriously difficult to win an away match in Turkey due to the fervour of their fan support. Granted, United had their fair share of botched chances, and were for all purposes in control for the majority of the game; their difficulty was in finding the extra push to put them ahead on the scoresheet as well. It took United 77 minutes to wear down the Kara Kartallar, and their chance came when a shot from Nani forced the Turkish side’s keeper to parry, though he was unable to hold on to the ball and Paul Scholes dutifully nodded in the rebound. It is a result that I think both sides can come away from relatively happy.

Eins, Zwei, Drei... Grafite learns German the only way he knows how.

VfL Wolfsburg 3-1 CSKA Moscow – A result the German Champions, and in particular star man Grafite, can be proud of. Their first Champions League match went off without a hitch, and though Juande Ramos’ Russian side was able to take control of possession for much of the game, they failed to capitalize on their efforts as Wolfsburg – er, Grafite – did. Netting twice in the first half before making it three on 87′ the Brazilian was all the difference for the German side, who now sit at the top of their group, above Manchester United on goal differential. Party while you can, Wolves – the Red Devils are next.

Bayern Münich 3-0 Maccabi Haifa – An unsurprising result. Bayern have gotten their easiest fixture out of the way, dismissing the Israeli side with, well, ease. Nevertheless, it is noteworthy that Bayern youngster Thomas Müller has grabbed his second brace in as many games – Daniel Van Buyten opened up the scoring with a goal of his own. Next up is what should be a far more challenging fixture against Juventus – like their counterparts Wolfsburg, Die Roten have their toughest challenges yet ahead of them.

Atletico Madrid 0-0 APOEL FC – Like Bayern, Atletico have their easiest match behind them. Unfortunately, unlike Bayern, Los Colchoneros failed to make the best out of said match and came away with a single point against Cyprus’ APOEL FC at home in the Estadio Vincente Calderón. It was a frustrating evening for the Spanish side, as their often-lethal strike team of Diego Forlan and Sergio ‘Kun’ Aguero failed to create goalscoring opportunities. However, Los Colchoneros can consider themselves somewhat lucky in that the visitors blew two clear-cut chances to take the lead. Silver lining, right? More like bronze, I suppose.

Inter 0-0 Barcelona – Here it is, the match we’ve all been waiting for, and – what? They drew? Bollocks! Inter and Barcelona played a well-matched game in which neither side looked dominant over the other, despite Barca’s inevitable control of possession. The chances went both ways, and Inter had as good and as many as the Catalans. The UEFA Champions did not look all that comfortable in the San Siro, although they could have gone ahead several times in the opening minutes at the Nerazzurri struggled to find their rhythm. Though Barca looked the aggressors in the first half (and should have gone ahead had Keita not missed an absolute sitter) their play had an edge of impatience in the second half, and their attacks, while often dangerous, could not crack Inter’s defense. Lionel Messi was well-covered by the Inter back line – it seemed as though every time he touched the ball he was instantly surrounded with a wall of black & blue. Ibrahimovic, roundly jeered by Inter fans, continued his practice of performing impressions of The Invisible Man during big matches, and failed to make an impact on the scoreline against his former side. Of course his counterpart Samuel Eto’o was also present – putting in a hardworking game against his former side but ultimately coming up empty-handed. However, Barca was not the only side to waste clear-cut chances. Diego Milito stumbling over his own feet alone in front of Victor Valdes and David Santon, who was brought on late to replace Wesley Sneijder, doing a fairly good job of covering the position – he nearly would have given his side the lead in a one-on-one on 82′ but for being brought down by Yaya Toure, who received a yellow card for his efforts. Inter were perhaps saved by some last-ditch defending, though given each team’s performance, a 0-0 draw is the most apt result.

Arsenal 3-2 Standard Liege – Hats off to the Gunners, who pulled off an impressive comeback to bring three points home from Belgium after going down 2-0 in the games first five minutes. Eliaquim Mangala netted on 2′ and Milan Jovanović, after being tackled clumsily by William Gallas in the box, converted a spot kick on 5′ to stun Arsenal with a devastating early lead. Arsenal would struggle throughout the next 45 minutes, to wake up just before the half as Nick Bendtner ran onto an Abou Diaby throughball in the corner of the box and slotted home to halve the Belgian’s lead. Standard Liege would fight hard throughout the second have, posing a constant danger up the flanks, though Arsenal would finally equalize in the 78th minute thanks to Thomas Vermaelen – only three minutes before Eduardo would score the goal that, ultimately, would be enough to win the game. The dramatic comeback of Arsene Wenger’s side made this probably the most exciting match played in this year’s competition thus far.

Liverpool 1-0 Debrecen – Liverpool, the fourth and final English team in European competition, was also the fourth English team to beat their opponents by a single-goal margin. The Merseyside squad hosted Hungarian Champions Debrecen at Anfield, and played a strong defensive game, content to absorb the pressure heaped on them and wait patiently for their chances. Despite missing key players Jozef Varga, Tibor Dombi, Gergely Rudolf through suspensions and injury, respectively, the Hungarians put up a good fight, gaining confidence throughout each half and forcing some last-ditch saves from Pepe Reina. However, it would be a Dirk Kuyt goal in first-half injury time that would be the final difference between the teams, as the Hungarians were unable to equalize in the second half – seeing the Scousers take three points from their first group match.

"I swear Ref, his face hit me!"

Olympique Lyonnais 1-0 Fiorentina – Lyon became the only French side to take three points away from their first game after beating 10-man Fiorentina by a one-goal margin at home in the Stade Gerland. The first half of the match was rather uneventful, and despite a few scattered chances, the game didn’t start in earnest until Alberto Gilardino was sent off in first half added time after Jérémy Toulalan had the nerve to hit Gila’s elbow with his face. After the half, the Viola decided the best course of action was to cut their losses and ‘park the bus,’ but their plan was foiled on 76′, when Miralam Pjanic found the back of the net on a strong rebounded shot. Cesare Prandelli hasalready spoken out against Gilardino being given his marching orders, calling the elbow to the face unintentional and claiming the judgement was harsh. However way you see it, the Viola will surely be frustrated as they return to Italy empty-handed, and Lyon will surely celebrate winning their first group stage match.

GIDCEATWO (Games I Don’t Care Enough About To Write On):

Olympiakos 1-0 AZ Alkmaar

Sevilla 2-0 Unirea Urziceni

Dynamo Kiev 3-1 Rubin

VfB Stuttgart 1-1 Rangers

I’m not going into any detail on this, but what the hell is going on at Real Madrid right now? I celebrated when they paid top dollar for Kaka. I didn’t blink when they spent untold millions on the Coiffed One. And nary an eye was batted when supplies were further exhausted to bring in Xabi Alonso. All good players, mind you, but not too subtle or nuanced a transfer policy, don’t you think? Understandably, they were always going to have to trim some fat from a squad that was already overlarge, and credit where it’s due, they axed the first and foremost on my list, Gabriel Heinze, early on. Michel Salgado was – rather unceremoniously, in my opinion – let go despite his years of service. Makes sense, they’re both aging defenders with little role to play in the new-look squad. Huntelaar eventually made his exit as well, making his way to Milan after some good finagling. Fine, they do have a glut of strikers at this point, so someone was going to be on the outs.

Things had appeared to slow down for a while, and then BOOM – Alvaro Negredo is gone, sold to Sevilla. Yes, they have a good buy-back clause on him, but why sell him in the first place? He did brilliantly with Almeria and looked poised to help spearhead Real’s front line, for a long while into the future, yet they let him go. Ushered him out the door, more like it. Ta-ta to another canterano. Transfer speculation appeared to slow after that, with Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder looking likely to stay put. And now, what do we hear? Robben will find himself at Bayern Munich for the upcoming season, and Sneijder is to land at Inter Milan. This after I had convinced myself of their importance to the squad for this transitional year, while the new players find their way into the fold. They added the kind of depth crucial to any team hoping to contend in multiple competitions over the course of a long season. And besides that, Robben was the team’s most dangerous creative player in the games played so far with the new group, changing the landscape of the game when substituted for CRon and clicking with teammates far better than Pretty Boy did. I just don’t understand it. These are the kind of moves that will derail Real’s title hopes, especially when you consider Barça are returning essentially their whole team after winning the triplete with another year of chemistry under their belts. Until this, I thought they had a decent (if outside) chance to unseat the champions. But now, I must agree that Barcelona look all but assured to win it again. And all so Real can sign another unnecessary and overpriced superstar A YEAR FROM NOW. Ribery may be an excellent player, but he is far from an essential ingredient, and I don’t believe he is worth weakening the current squad for. Oh well, I guess. Who knows better – Florentino or me? Let’s just hope that quarter of a billion proves its worth, and soon. There will be no grace period, at least not anymore.