Zico: I have a deep friendship with Maradona and often joke about "the hand of God" to him.

Live bar November 29 news Ball king Maradona died of illness this week, as an old rival of the Argentine national team, many famous stars in Brazilian football have also paid tribute to him, including "White Pele" Zico, who also recalled his friendship with Maradona in an interview with the Italian media Sky Sports.

'I never worry about the hostility that might exist between us in the eyes of people, we lost a great championship player.

"A lot of people want to have a hostile relationship between me and Maradona or Platini, and of course that's because of the confrontational relationship between Brazil and Argentina, but I've never been worried about it. We lost a great champion and I lost a great friend. I also sent him a text message when he recently underwent surgery and I sensed from his response that he was very worried. ”

"Last time I organized a charity game and Diego came, he was very generous and after the game I took him to my house for dinner."

"Once, when I was away, my son showed him the trophies I had won in his career and he was so excited that I didn't know if he still kept his trophies, if he gave them to someone else, or if something else had happened."

"That night, he hugged my son tightly and said: 'Always remember that this is your father's gift to you and other children'. He was crying then, and that kind of frankness and generosity would be unforgettable for my son. I have a very good friendship with him, he is always too generous in words and deeds, Diego is the best player of our generation and one of the best five players in history. ”

Zico and Maradona's last meeting in Serie A was in the final round of the 1984/85 season, when Maradona scored a final-minute handball score and Zico was sent off for protest. After 35 years, Zico joked: "I was banned four times after that game, and that was my last game in Italy. It's hard not to see his fists help him score points, and he looks like a great volleyball champion. Later, I joked a lot with Maradona about it: 'You're trained well after God at the World Cup in Mexico.' ”

in Cosimo