11 November 2001, La Bombonera, Buenos Aries, Argentina
It’s unbelievable. The world will watch this, when I told everyone, it wasn’t believable. But now the world can see what Boca fans and Argentinians are like.
The passion they’ve got for football. And the passion for a number ten that may have luckily made you smile.
I really can’t … I don’t know how to pay you really.
I tried to be happy by playing football and make you happy.
I think that I luckily did it, and I really didn’t expect this.
Because this is too much, it’s too much for a person, too much for a footballer.
I thank you all with my heart.
I was waiting so long for this match and now it’s over. I hope this love I feel for football never ends. Nor this spectacle nor this love you’ve got for me.
I thank you in the name of my daughters, in the name of my mother,, my father, of Guilermo (Coppola), and in the name of every football player in the world.
Football is the most beautiful and healthiest sport in the world. No one should ever doubt that. If someone makes a mistake football should not pay for it. I made mistakes and paid for them but … the ball shouldn’t get stained.
I want to thank every football player. Every footballer who came today, and want a huge round of applause for them. Huge, the biggest of them all.
To everyone who played with me today …
To the ones who didn’t come, I still respect them as before. It doesn’t change anything for me.
I want to also thank Bielsa and Grondona. That we may have our differences Julio, but he’s the best Argentine executive, because the other ones show they can’t do it correctly.
Thank you to this football temple which is La Bombonera. We were talking about this the other day, Lots of ‘leaders’ have shat their pants on this stadium, tons of them, who said that they’d played in places all over the world, and when they came here, they went lots of times to the bathroom. That’s why there is no stadium like this one.
To enjoy, to pressure the opposition. That’s why I thank god for creating La Bombonera and for making me a Boca fan.
[crowd starts singing] Dale bo, Dale boca, dale bo … [Maradona joins in the singing]
I’m with all you as well, guys, till death.
And finally, I want to dedicate all this emotions to Dalma and Yanina, That, they’re my soul. Thank you because this not for me, this for them.
Good afternoon, and this love for football shall never end. I ask you please, in the name of my daughters and family, good afternoon and thank you. I owe you everything.
I love you so much.