Osvaldo Ardiles: “Dieguito was eager to learn” (Number, Japón)

 

- You had the chance to treat Diego Maradona a lot at the 1982 World Cup in Spain. What was that Maradona like?

- Actually, I already knew him since 1976 when he came to practice with the national team, being he of age of youth categories. I always remember that frustration he had when he was left out of the final list before the 1978 World Cup, but in Japan, the following year, he established himself as the best player in the world and when he reached the concentration for the World Cup in Spain, he was a world star. I remember the noise around him because just before the tournament he signed his contract with Barcelona and that is why he had to leave the concentration and I even remember that he was in sportswear, which he did not change because he left and returned in a few hours. The noise got even louder because our debut, and as world champions, was precisely at the Camp Nou against Belgium. And he tried by all means to stay focused, he came to Spain very motivated, but it was almost impossible to get rid of that noise, especially with the media, and you have to think that even though he had already been playing professionally since he was 15-16 years old, he was only 21 there.

- For many analysts, that Argentine squad may have been the best in the history of the World Cups.

- Probably. We had a lot of confidence in ourselves and it was no wonder: we were the world champions and there were added none other than Jorge Valdano, Diego and Ramón Díaz, among others, who were also U-20 world champions, but unfortunately we never found the right course. The team was not sharp even in the friendly preparation games and it is not an excuse, but the Malvinas War against England affected us a lot because if you are going to play something as important as the World Cup, you have to have absolute concentration and we leave for Spain and we thought we were winning the war and shortly after arriving, we learned of the defeat and almost all of us had a friend or a relative involved in the war.

- It was also said that a concentration so close to the beach, in Villajoyosa, was not good for the team.

- Can be. Someone had the "fantastic" idea that we would take our wives to the World Cup and they were in a hotel next to ours. We needed total concentration and we didn't have it. It wasn't the best idea.

- And besides, you started losing.

- We started badly, losing in the opening match, and the whole World Cup was already complicated for us because that led to the “group of death” reaching the second phase with Italy and Brazil, which was the best team in the world at that time, although was not the champion.

- And how did Maradona take that defeat?

- He was very mortified. In that World Cup I talked a lot with him. Menotti had put him at my table at meal times. There were four of us: Daniel Bertoni, Patricio Hernández, him and me. He asked me to tell him things about Europe, how people lived, the customs, what it was like to play in a European league. Dieguito was very intelligent, with a very particular sense of humor and he always had great respect for the 1978 world champions. Once he had to choose his ideal team and put six of the eleven of that Argentine team. He asked us about everything: religion, politics. He may have never read a book, although he didn't have much time either. He did watch television. He was eager to learn. He even noticed how we sit at the table!

- Against Hungary it was the best match of the Argentine team in that World Cup...

- Yes, that raised the spirits a lot, especially for him, who played a great game, although that also raised the media noise. He took refuge in us a lot, asked us for advice. We tried to keep him calm, focused. The one who treated and calmed him the most was Patricio Hernández, who shared the room with him. Think that we were concentrated about four months before the World Cup.

- The first match of the second phase, against Italy, must have hurt him a lot.

- A lot, but more than anything, because of the impotence, because that mark made by Claudio Gentile all over the field, hitting him and permanently grabbing him by the shirt, today would be impossible for the VAR. In fact, FIFA changed some rules since that day to protect the skilled a little more because that was incredibly cynical. The Italians hit until they got a yellow card and then they changed marker until the new one received the yellow card and thus they were rotating. Once, much later, Maradona told me that in the statistics of three different World Cups, those who received the most fouls were him, me and Ariel Ortega. Unfortunately, in that World Cup, in most of the matches, everyone tried to cancel him but not with football but by hitting him.

- And what did he say about that?

- He was very bothered by the cheating, more than the beats themselves. He was more upset than irritated. He asked how it could be that they did not punish those who beat him, he said that he couldn't play that way.

- By losing against Italy, the Argentine team was forced to beat Brazil...

- Yes, and that made us go out too focused on the attack against a rival who did not forgive. And coincidentally, it was the team that hit Maradona the least and did not make a personal mark.

- In that game, Maradona was expelled.

- Yes, he reacted badly. I think it was due to the impotence of a defeat against Brazil, which for us is a classic, and being eliminated from the World Cup. They beat us well and it was also my last game with the Argentine team.

- And how was Maradona after that, in the concentration?

- He was very sad, very bad, needing an urgent rematch. I remember talking to him when we got back and I told him "you have to be very strong with the criticism because even though they are going to hit us all, it will be harder on you for being the best player in the world" and he nodded and I think somehow he prepared himself. I think the noise made by his subsequent move to Barcelona also helped him overcome this stage.

- And the relationship with Menotti?

- It was always very good. Beyond the fact that he did not include him in the definitive list for the 1978 World Cup and the elimination in Spain 1982, Maradona always highlighted him in all his interviews as one of the coaches who marked him the most in his career, and they immediately met again at Barcelona. They always had a lot of dialogue.

- You met him again several more times.

- Yes, even I got him to play in the Tottenham jersey in my farewell match and all Spurs fans will remember him forever. It was a month before the 1986 World Cup and he came the next day to play a friendly with the Argentine team against Norway and I suggested that he play about 15 minutes but he ended up playing the whole game. He was like that, he was motivated and nobody stopped him anymore. Years later I accompanied him when he came to visit the University of Oxford, where he was not asked any easy questions, but he dazzled the students and even played free style with a golf ball that is remembered by everyone there.