Maradona’s exit and Colombian tragedy
The ruthless Gabriel Batistuta netted a hat-trick as Argentina, who had qualified for the tournament via a play-off against Australia, flew out of the blocks with a 4-0 win over Greece. But the participation of the other goalscorer was the real story.
Diego Maradona served a 15-month ban after testing positive for cocaine in March 1991. He was overweight and out of sorts by the time he returned, first at Sevilla and then briefly with Newell’s Old Boys, and looked unlikely to make the World Cup before entering a rigorous personal training regime, losing two stone and announcing: “I am tired of all those who said I was fat and no longer the great Maradona. They will see the real Diego at the World Cup.”
The 33-year-old’s sublime goal against Greece was a snapshot of his glorious past – a rapid exchange of neat passes on the edge of the box, two subtle touches to make space and a sweeping left-footed strike into the top corner. The celebration was even more iconic, hurtling towards the camera and roaring down the lens – mouth open, eyes bulging.
That would be Maradona’s last goal for La Albiceleste, with the diminutive magician’s final act creating both goals for Claudio Caniggia in a 2-1 win over Nigeria in the following game.
“I had to play him one-on-one,” remembers Nigeria’s Sunday Oliseh. “I’ve never seen a player control the ball the way he did. He made the difference – just genius.”
Argentina’s World Cup was thrown into disarray when Maradona returned urine samples from that match showing traces of banned substances. He pleaded innocence – his personal trainer bought the wrong dietary supplement, Ripped Fuel, instead of his usual Ripped Fast. But the nation’s favourite son was banned before the final group game.
“Diego was desperate, he was broken, he started crying, he shut himself in his room and didn’t want to speak to anyone,” Dr Roberto Peidro, part of Argentina’s medical staff, told the BBC’s Sporting Witness, comparing the atmosphere in camp to “a funeral”.
Argentina were among the favourites before Maradona’s ban, but lost to a Hristo Stoichkov-inspired Bulgaria in Dallas and then suffered a last-16 exit to another surprise package, Romania.
It was Colombia, though, who had qualified automatically for the World Cup after thumping Argentina 5-0 in Buenos Aires the previous year – in doing so hyping up expectations for their own chances in the States. The likes of Pele, Johan Cruyff and Arrigo Sacchi touted them as potential winners.
Wearing their reverse blue jerseys in Pasadena, Colombia too came unstuck against Romania in their opening group game – Gheorghe Hagi catching out goalkeeper Oscar Cordoba, who’d replaced Rene Higuita following his imprisonment the previous year.
Amid a backdrop of death threats to coach Francisco Maturana over his team selection, delivered via TV screens at the squad hotel and believed to have come from the country’s drug cartels, Colombia faced a novice USA side next.
Their task grew harder when defender Andres Escobar turned into his own net in the first half. Earnie Stewart doubled the hosts’ lead in front of almost 94,000 fans at the Rose Bowl before Adolfo Valencia’s late consolation. Los Cafeteros beat Switzerland in the final game, but were eliminated.
Upon returning to Colombia, Escobar wrote a newspaper column in El Tiempo, saying: “Life doesn’t end here”. Yet just 10 days after that own goal, the 27-year-old was shot dead outside Bar El Indio in Medellin following an argument in the car park.
It was portrayed as a revenge killing. Others, including national team head coach Maturana, felt Escobar was an unfortunate victim of Colombia’s violent society at the time. It proved a tragic end to the country’s golden footballing era.
