October 25, 1997 is a date that remained in football history because it was the last professional match of Diego Armando Maradona, who played the first half for Boca Juniors in the Superclassic played at the Monumental Stadium. In the complement, Pelusa was replaced by Juan Román Riquelme, who months earlier shone in the team that won the Under 20 World Cup in Malaysia.
It was when Maradona returned to Xeneize for the second time after his departure in mid-1996, under the leadership of Carlos Salvador Bilardo, and a year later he joined the squad led by Héctor Veira. In that meeting Boca Juniors turned the result around and won 2-1. It was Jorge Bermudez's first Superclassic, which in dialogue with TNT Sports remembered what Diego said in the dressing room.
“I have the opportunity to play for Monumental and in the first half we were losing 0-1. At halftime of the '97 superclassic, the great Diego enters crying and said 'boys I can't play anymore, so far I accompany you. My legs don't answer me. ' He looked at Riquelme, hugged him and said 'well, wow, now is your time, your life and your football. And you can turn this around. ' You have Diego Maradona crying and saying that he can't play football anymore and at that moment, do you imagine Diego Maradona doing anything else in life?” , said the Patron.
“We wanted Diego to be there, but we didn't have any sign that this was going to be his last game. That match had everything, many condiments: nostalgia and sadness, everything happened, it was like a movie”, stressed the former defender who is now a member of the Boca Juniors Football Council, who is in charge of Riquelme himself, who is the vice-president of the club.
Bermudez (50 years old) arrived in Boca Juniors in the second half of 1997 and quickly consolidated his defense. In that Superclassic the Xeneize turned it around with a goal by Martín Palermo in the rain. Although the best version of the former coffee defender was in Carlos Bianchi's first cycle, with the squad winning two Cups Libertadores in 2000 and 2001, one Intercontinental in 2000, and three national titles, the 1998 and 2000 Apertura and the 1999 Clausura.
In the complement to that match played on the River Plate court, the Colombian says that he realized the qualities of Riquelme: “That day, with the ease that Roman played the second half, I said 'this boy is going to be different, he is going to have another light in our club'”.
On Maradona's deal with Riquelme, he revealed that “among magicians the tricks are known. When Diego saw Román (in training) he yelled at him and Roman did something, a tunnel, and Diego applauded him. Diego was very genuine and very spontaneous in his reactions, going to embrace the rival. It was Diego and he shared it with everyone. As a person and a companion, the Maradona I had was unmatched.”
This Sunday another edition of the Superclassic will be played and it will be again at the Monumental. It is a long-awaited match, like all River-Boca, a game that has many stories and Bermudez revealed what happened that unforgettable day when Maradona played for the last time as a professional.
OTHER PHRASES OF THE PATTERN
Contact the fan. “We have to understand the medium and the exposure that players have today, there is fear of saying anything that may cause problems. On Social Networks you can be there 24 hours a day and you have immediate response from people.”
Youth. “There are guys who, as they play PlayStation every day, know a lot about football and they know all the lineups of all the teams. It's not that they know less, they taste different and they approach football in a different way. We have a good relationship with the guys at the Club.”
Previous leadership. “These two and a half years we have been very happy since day one. If it wasn't for the member who voted for us, there was a political decision not to return to the Club. We are proud of the hard and beautiful work we do every day.”
“Any Boca fan watches the final in Madrid and many players were later sold. Where did that money go? It was sold for 70 million dollars.”
Balance sheet. “We were champions three times and were grotesquely kicked out of the Copa Libertadores. They had us 7 days in a hotel and didn't let us compete two matches in the local tournament. Above all, what we have achieved so far has been good.”
La Bonbonera. “Today we can say that La Bombonera is a football field where it can rain and it won't flood. We prayed that it would not rain when we played, nothing had been done on the court for 35 years.”
“It is a tremendous pride that the Argentine National Team will play again on the court in Boca. We knew it would be hard for us to redo the court, but we were convinced that it had to look like a billiard. It's going to be really nice to see Messi in the Bombonera.”
River Plate. “He got up from a difficult moment and did it, above all, with people who love the Institution. There is a process in which the boys of the Club were given place.”
Additions. “Boca brought many players to this market who are adapting to the team. Pol Fernández just played a 5 game and Oscar Romero could barely have a starting match. Here is a construction that takes time, we have a lot of faith in the squad and the coaching staff.”
Battaglia. “On Mondays and Tuesdays we watch the matches again, we draw conclusions and transmit it to the coaching staff. We see that the team has to maintain the path they are on, we are happy with the work of Sebastián Battaglia.”
Current squad. “We have a very competitive squad, we have two or three players per position. That is our job, that of the coach is to make the team play well.”
The criticisms. “The positive is little valued, because we seek to install the negative more. For some it was better that Equi Fernández stayed to be the fifth central steering wheel of the squad, instead of seeing today once a week how the boy grows up.”
Benedetto. “Dario is a great emblem of our club, we are happy with his return.”
Samuel. “When Walter Samuel came up first he was 18 years old and he was a beast, he had an incredible category. The only thing is that I didn't know his voice, ha, but he whistled at you and with that we understood each other.”
Superclassic is coming. “I see a team in front that is very strong, that has been doing well for a while and is comfortable with what they do. Boca has to believe a lot in the leading role he should play. If Boca has his 11 players for 90 minutes we are going to fight him.”
Arbitration. “I have a personal concern for the referees. I feel that in a superclassic, playing with one less is tremendous. I only ask that there be a transparent match, it is not normal that the first time you are late it will be a yellow card.”
The VAR. “It's a new chiche that can go very badly. What has been the preparation for those in the VAR to make a determination? It can go very well or very badly.”
Yellow t-shirt. “The color of the shirt is a marketing issue. Pink or purple t-shirts have nothing to do with our club and during our administration it won't happen. But there are companies that invest and, for me, Boca is the most important institution in the world.”
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