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Press article:
Diego made me a star - Nobby - 01/02/2004
Nobby Solano may be the biggest thing to come out of Peru since Paddington Bear - but he reckons he owes his career in England to Argentina legend Diego Maradona.
Solano signed for Villa on Thursday in a £1.5 million deal after weeks of negotiation with Newcastle United.
And while he has thanked David O’Leary for taking him to Villa Park, Solano admits he is sad that he has lost touch with football genius Maradona.
Solano is a hero in Peru where his face appears on stamps and in TV adverts. The 29-year-old winger is such a household name there that even his wedding was televised live.
But he realises that he cannot match up to Maradona, although the older man dubbed Solano the “Little Master” at Argentinian club Boca Juniors.
It was that reputation that attracted Newcastle to Solano six years ago - and the links with the Peruvian were so great that he was invited back along with Eric Cantona to play in Maradona’s farewell match in Argentina.
Now, though, Solano admits that he has seen little recently of Maradona whose problems in retirement have muddied the image that made him famous.
“When I played at Boca Juniors, I was there with Maradona and he is a great man,” said Solano.
“But when I went there, he wasn’t the best because he was older and he had struggled a little at the end of his career.
“For me though, I found him amazing, an unbelievable person. He was a god in Argentina, but he still found time to say good things about me and called me the Little Master because of how I took the free-kicks.
“And this was coming from the best player in the world in my eyes.
“He was impressed with my technique and we maintained good relations. He invited me to his testimonial which was fantastic. That proved to me that we were good friends.
“So it is sad for me that we haven’t spoken recently because he has had his problems back home. It’s impossible for me to be as close again. “But I will tell you, no matter what you see on the outside, there is a great man inside.”
Sunday Mercury
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