ON HAVING A BALL TO KICK
It’s the most beautiful thing that football can give one (1981)
ON WATCHING BOCA JUNIORS
I feel like my chest burns. It’s like sleeping with Julia Roberts (2006)
ON BEING ORDERED TO PAY MAINTENANCE FOR HIS SIX-YEAR-OLD SON, DIEGO JNR
They can order me to pay him money, but they can never order me to love him (1991)
ON HAVING CHE GUEVARA’S FACE TATTOOED ON HIS ARM
It was time that the two greatest Argentines were united in the same body (2005)
ON HUMILITY
I don’t want it ever to be said of me that I’m boastful (1977)
ON HIS HANDBALL GOAL AGAINST ENGLAND IN 1986
At the time I called it the Hand of God. Bollocks was it the Hand of God, it was the Hand of Diego (2004)
AFTER MEETING VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT HUGO CHAVEZ
I like women, but I’m in love with Chavez (2007)
ON ERIC CANTONA, AT A PRESS CONFERENCE TO LAUNCH A WORLD UNION OF FOOTBALLERS
Is he going to take all afternoon? (1995)
TO THE OWNER OF MANDIYU DE CORRIENTES, A TEAM HE WAS MANAGING
You motherf***ing fatso, what the f*** are you coming in the changing room to talk to players for? (1994)
ON JULIA ROBERTS
I would do anything to see her come across the Croisette. I would cut off my hand – even the hand with which I scored against England (2008)
ON PETER SHILTON
The Thermos-head (2004)
ON HIS TIME IN A MENTAL INSTITUTION
There were people in there because they thought they were Robinson Crusoe and they didn’t believe me when I told them I’m Maradona (2006)
AT HIS PRESS CONFERENCE AFTER ARGENTINA‘S WORLD CUP QUALIFIER WITH URUGUAY
To those who didn’t believe it – excusing the ladies – suck it, go on, keep sucking it (2009)
ON PUNCHING IN THE WINDOW OF A PHOTOGRAPHER’S CAR
I did it with the Hand of Reason (2000)
ON FAITH
People have faith in me, they believe in me as perhaps they believe in God, and I’m not going to contradict them (2008)
