Diego Maradona, right, in action during the second leg of the Uefa Cup final against Stuttgart at the Neckarstadion in Stuttgart, Germany. Napoli won 5-4 on aggregate. Getty Images
Diego Maradona, right, in action during the second leg of the Uefa Cup final against Stuttgart at the Neckarstadion in Stuttgart, Germany. Napoli won 5-4 on aggregate. Getty Images
Diego Maradona, right, in action during the second leg of the Uefa Cup final against Stuttgart at the Neckarstadion in Stuttgart, Germany. Napoli won 5-4 on aggregate. Getty Images
Diego Maradona, right, in action during the second leg of the Uefa Cup final against Stuttgart at the Neckarstadion in Stuttgart, Germany. Napoli won 5-4 on aggregate. Getty Images

Napoli v Manchester City: Sergio Aguero on cusp of landmark in a city where his former father-in-law Diego Maradona is revered as a deity


Ian Hawkey
  • English
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A significant anniversary was observed on Monday, marked with special reverence in South America and the south of Italy. Twenty years ago, October 30, 1997, the man many consider the greatest footballer of the last half a century retired from playing.

And if there can be lively arguments about whether or not Diego Maradona really was the most talented individual to kick a ball in the age of colour television, it is best not voice them too loud in Naples.

Around Napoli’s San Paolo stadium, an arena not greatly transformed since the 1990s heyday of Maradona, a visitor can hardly avoid him, even if it is two decades since he recognised, at the age of 37, that a body bruised by rugged man-markers, deteriorated by pain-killers and by some illegal substances, was no longer capable of the balletic, powerful brilliance that had made him a superstar. His face and name are everywhere, on graffitied murals around the stadium, on scarves, on pocket-sized amulets. In Naples, Maradona is the brand that keeps on giving.

Currently manager of UAE First Division club Fujairah, Maradona played for Napoli for six years. In that time the club won their two Italian league titles and their only major European trophy. The fact that the current Napoli, who host Manchester City in a heavyweight Uefa Champions League contest on Wednesday, sit on top of Serie A right now only fuels nostalgia for the Maradona epoch.

This Napoli know they have no player with his out-of-this-world qualities, so whenever he utters the slightest endorsement of how well a club he genuinely loves is performing it is heard as a great blessing.

At the San Paolo on Wednesday, another milestone is imminent, not the anniversary of a great career’s end, but recognition of a defining contribution to another club’s finest era. This landmark would be appreciated by members of the Maradona family. Sergio Aguero, who, like his Argentine compatriot Maradona, has marked forever the rise of a club who play in sky-blue jerseys, needs one more goal to become City’s most prolific scorer of all time. Aguero is tied with Eric Brook, who played in the 1920s and '30s, on 177 goals.

Diego Maradona blows kisses to Napoli fans in the San Paolo in 2005, after ending a 14-year absence to play in Ciro Ferrara's testimonial. Associated Press
Diego Maradona blows kisses to Napoli fans in the San Paolo in 2005, after ending a 14-year absence to play in Ciro Ferrara's testimonial. Associated Press

To reach 178 in Naples would be poignant, not least for Aguero’s son, Benjamin, who is old enough, at eight, to appreciate what the San Paolo represents. Benjamin Aguero is Maradona’s grandson, born when Diego Maradona was both father-in-law and boss to Aguero, while Maradona coached Argentina to the 2010 World Cup and Aguero was the partner of Giannina Maradona, Diego’s eldest daughter.

Inevitably, Aguero has heard plenty of stories of Maradona at Napoli. “No one could have changed the fortunes of Napoli, or Argentina, in the way he did,” Aguero said shortly after he joined Manchester City, six years ago, and comparisons between the two were suggested. After all, both he and Maradona were stars taken on by clubs with a hunger to break a glass ceiling: Napoli longed for a major trophy when they signed "El Diego" in the late 1980s, City were the same when they recruited Aguero 2011.

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He delivered. Aguero’s time at City has included two English league titles, his club’s first since the 1960s. And, yes, with his low centre of gravity, his courage and his dazzling finishing, he has some of the technical gifts of his former father-in-law.

When Aguero played for City at Napoli the last time the clubs met in Italy, he was cheered onto the pitch by Neapolitans. That was soon after he joined City, in 2011. He only got nine minutes, as a substitute, at the San Paolo in a 2-1 defeat for the visiting club.

Six years on, in his 30th year, and with all those City goals, Aguero again finds himself wondering whether he will start, or wait on the bench. Since returning from a rib injury – sustained in a car accident last month – his manager Pep Guardiola has named Aguero just once in his initial XI and three times as a substitute.

Sergio Aguero has scored 177 goals for Manchester City, a record he shares with Eric Brook. Nigel Roddis / Getty Images
Sergio Aguero has scored 177 goals for Manchester City, a record he shares with Eric Brook. Nigel Roddis / Getty Images

Brook's record has lingered in his sights a while longer than it might have and Aguero has sometimes looked frustrated watching younger men, such as Leroy Sane, Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling convert the many chances Guardiola's side create.

But if he makes his history at this most resonant venue, beats that long-standing landmark in the heart of Maradonaland, he may just feel the timing was perfectly designed.

Listen to Ian Hawkey speak ahead of the Napoli v Manchester City game

What to watch out for:

Algae, waste coffee grounds and orange peels will be used in the pavilion's walls and gangways

The hulls of three ships will be used for the roof

The hulls will painted to make the largest Italian tricolour in the country’s history

Several pillars more than 20 metres high will support the structure

Roughly 15 tonnes of steel will be used

The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo

The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
​​​​​​​Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km

Sheer grandeur

The Owo building is 14 storeys high, seven of which are below ground, with the 30,000 square feet of amenities located subterranean, including a 16-seat private cinema, seven lounges, a gym, games room, treatment suites and bicycle storage.

A clear distinction between the residences and the Raffles hotel with the amenities operated separately.

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Perfect Couple

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor

Creator: Jenna Lamia

Rating: 3/5

RESULTS

5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m
Winner: Raghida, Szczepan Mazur (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m
Winner: AF Alareeq, Connor Beasley, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
6pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round-2 Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 2,200m 
Winner: Basmah, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
6.30pm: Liwa Oasis Group 2 (PA) Dh300,000 1,400m
Winner: AF Alwajel, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m
Winner: SS Jalmod, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 1,600m
Winner: Trolius, Ryan Powell, Simon Crisford

US PGA Championship in numbers

Joost Luiten produced a memorable hole in one at the par-three fourth in the first round.

To date, the only two players to win the PGA Championship after winning the week before are Rory McIlroy (2014 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational) and Tiger Woods (2007, WGC-Bridgestone Invitational). Hideki Matsuyama or Chris Stroud could have made it three.

Number of seasons without a major for McIlroy, who finished in a tie for 22nd.

4 Louis Oosthuizen has now finished second in all four of the game's major championships.

In the fifth hole of the final round, McIlroy holed his longest putt of the week - from 16ft 8in - for birdie.

For the sixth successive year, play was disrupted by bad weather with a delay of one hour and 43 minutes on Friday.

Seven under par (64) was the best round of the week, shot by Matsuyama and Francesco Molinari on Day 2.

Number of shots taken by Jason Day on the 18th hole in round three after a risky recovery shot backfired.

Jon Rahm's age in months the last time Phil Mickelson missed the cut in the US PGA, in 1995.

10 Jimmy Walker's opening round as defending champion was a 10-over-par 81.

11 The par-four 11th coincidentally ranked as the 11th hardest hole overall with a scoring average of 4.192.

12 Paul Casey was a combined 12 under par for his first round in this year's majors.

13 The average world ranking of the last 13 PGA winners before this week was 25. Kevin Kisner began the week ranked 25th.

14 The world ranking of Justin Thomas before his victory.

15 Of the top 15 players after 54 holes, only Oosthuizen had previously won a major.

16 The par-four 16th marks the start of Quail Hollow's so-called "Green Mile" of finishing holes, some of the toughest in golf.

17 The first round scoring average of the last 17 major champions was 67.2. Kisner and Thorbjorn Olesen shot 67 on day one at Quail Hollow.

18 For the first time in 18 majors, the eventual winner was over par after round one (Thomas shot 73).

In numbers

- Number of children under five will fall from 681 million in 2017 to 401m in 2100

- Over-80s will rise from 141m in 2017 to 866m in 2100

- Nigeria will become the world’s second most populous country with 791m by 2100, behind India

- China will fall dramatically from a peak of 2.4 billion in 2024 to 732 million by 2100

- an average of 2.1 children per woman is required to sustain population growth

Specs

Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request

UK-EU trade at a glance

EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years

Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products

Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries

Smoother border management with use of e-gates

Cutting red tape on import and export of food

Volvo ES90 Specs

Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)

Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp

Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm

On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region

Price: Exact regional pricing TBA

Squads

Sri Lanka Tharanga (c), Mathews, Dickwella (wk), Gunathilaka, Mendis, Kapugedera, Siriwardana, Pushpakumara, Dananjaya, Sandakan, Perera, Hasaranga, Malinga, Chameera, Fernando.

India Kohli (c), Dhawan, Rohit, Rahul, Pandey, Rahane, Jadhav, Dhoni (wk), Pandya, Axar, Kuldeep, Chahal, Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar, Thakur.

MATCH INFO

Osasuna 1 Real Madrid 4
Osasuna: García (14')
Real Madrid: Isco (33'), Ramos (38'), Vázquez (84'), Jovic (90' 2)