BUENOS AIRES: The Italian-born son of Diego Maradona is set to follow in the footsteps of his father by playing club football in Argentina.
Diego Armando Sinagra Maradona, also known as Diego Junior, will sign for fourth-tier club El Porvenir, from the town of Gerli near the capital Buenos Aires, according to coach Luis Ventura.
Ventura, who is also a journalist, revealed the news on Twitter, saying: “I have in my hand the passport of Diego Armando Maradona and the permit to transfer his Italian registration...the future of Diego Junior is in Gerliiii.”
Playing down comparisons with his legendary father, Diego Junior told the Argentine sports daily Ole: “I love Argentine football and to play there is something I’ve wished to do.
“If I were like my father I would be playing for the best teams in the world. I feel like I am a good player and I hope I can demonstrate that in Argentina.”
Ole reported that the 25-year-old, who had been playing with Italian lower league side Quarto, will arrive in Argentina next Wednesday, with his wages being paid for by a third party.
“The club is not paying a cent, but this could generate interest and income,” added Ventura.
Diego Junior, who was born while his father was playing for Napoli, came close to joining Scottish lower-league club Clyde when aged 16 in 2003.
Maradona Junior set to join Argentine club
Maradona Junior set to join Argentine club
Late winner seals victory for Al-Ettifaq on SPL return
- After month-long hiatus, the Saudi Pro League returned to action on Matchday 11 with Al-Ettifaq and NEOM both securing victories
RIYADH: Thursday marked the long-awaited return of the Saudi Pro League after a 23-day break due to the national team’s participation at the 2025 Arab Cup.
What appeared to be a night short on goals — following a goalless draw between Al-Fayha and Al-Hazem earlier in the day — dramatically shifted after four goals were scored after the 89th minute across the fixtures.
Al-Ettifaq — city rivals of Brendan Rodgers’ new side, Al-Qadsiah — faced Al-Riyadh, looking to strengthen their position in the upper mid-table, and ultimately emerged from the capital with a 2-0 win.
However, the contest proved far from straightforward against the relegation battlers, with Moussa Dembele unable to rediscover his scoring touch despite netting a brace in his last outing.
Al-Ettifaq, enjoying the majority of possession, struggled to find their way past Al-Riyadh goalkeeper Milan Borjan, who produced six saves to keep his side in the contest. Al-Riyadh were pushed deep for much of the second half, largely due to being reduced to 10 men following Mohammed Al-Khaibari’s dismissal after a professional foul.
The visitors’ persistence finally paid off in injury time, as goals from Francisco Calvo and Georginio Wijnaldum secured a dramatic victory to give Al-Ettifaq the valuable three points, lifting them to seventh place on 15 points, after 10 matches.
Sitting just ahead of them in sixth are NEOM, who remain two points clear after surviving a late scare against Al-Najma to claim a 2-1 home victory.
In the battle between two newly-promoted teams — one in the top 6, and the other at the rear end of the table — NEOM appeared to be cruising after centre-back Nathan Zeze scored his first goal for the club in the 54th minute, before Khalifah Al-Dawsari doubled the lead in the 89th minute.
The match took an intense turn when Al-Najma were awarded a penalty in the fifth minute of stoppage time, converted by Bilal Boutobba.
As Saudi National Team ex-captain Salman Al-Faraj made his return to the pitch for the first time in 400 days, Al-Najma managed to push forward once more and grab a late goal, believing they had claimed a dramatic equalizer — only for Faisal Al-Mutairi’s effort to be ruled out for offside. The result condemned Al-Najma to their ninth defeat of the season.
Action continues on Friday with three more fixtures: Al-Fateh host Al-Ahli in the Eastern Province at 4:05pm KSA, Al-Kholood face Al-Taawoun at 6:00pm, and Al Hilal welcome Al-Khaleej in Riyadh at 8:30pm.
