RIYADH: Two of the world’s biggest football clubs, Spanish giants Barcelona and Argentina’s Boca Juniors, will meet in a historic Maradona Cup clash in the Saudi capital on Dec. 14 as a tribute to footballing legend Diego Maradona.
The Argentine World Cup and international star who died in November 2020 is widely regarded as among the greatest players in the history of the sport.
Chairman of the Saudi General Entertainment Authority, Turki Alalshikh, tweeted on his official account: “It is a historic match, Barcelona against Boca Juniors for the Maradona Cup in honor of the world football legend. Get ready for Dec. 14, legends never die.”
Maradona launched his sporting career with Boca Juniors in 1981 before moving to Barcelona, where he played for two seasons until 1984.
The Argentine star made his name with an outstanding individual performance in the 1968 World Cup in Mexico.
A year after leading Argentina to victory in the 1986 World Cup, he took part in a friendly match with the Saudi Al-Ahly team in Jeddah.
The Maradona Cup match is one of a series of events being held for the first time as part of Riyadh Season 2021.
Other events include a match in January 2022 between Paris Saint-Germain and a team made up of stars from the Saudi clubs Al-Hilal and Al-Nasr.
