“I’ve seen the player who will inherit my place in Argentinian football and his name is Messi. He’s a leader and is offering classes in beautiful football.”

Everybody in Argentina can remember the hand of God in the England match in the 1986 World Cup. Now, in my country, the hand of God has brought us an Argentinian pope.

Messi scores a goal and celebrates. Cristiano scores a goal and poses like he’s in a shampoo commercial.

I have 23 top players and they are all ready to put on the jersey and work on the pitch and that makes you happy and then you have peace of mind.

I certainly have an advantage over some because I can pass on so much from the World Cups I played in.

I am Maradona, who makes goals, who makes mistakes. I can take it all, I have shoulders big enough to fight with everybody.

All the people that criticised me should eat their words.

Messi I think is like me, he is the best in the world along with Ronaldinho.

Stoichkov is a great person and an exceptional player, Only if we had him at Napoli can you imagine the Stoichkov-Maradona attacking duo?

I’m not desperate but I know that some day I’ll be the coach again of some team.

Pele should go back to the museum.

Many people agree with me that many things are not clear in football these days and it is not something people who watch football deserve. The situation will be the same while football is run by people who do not understand football.

He’s a leader and is offering lessons in beautiful football. He has something different to any other player in the world.

God makes me play well. That is why I always make the sign of the cross when I walk out onto the field. I feel I would be betraying Him if I didn’t.

I was waiting for my teammates to embrace me and no one came, I told them, ‘Come hug me or the referee isn’t going to allow it.’

Even if there was a hand, it was the hand of God.

The goal was scored a little bit by the hand of God, another bit by the head of Maradona.

Whatever is almost true is quite false, and among the most dangerous of errors, because being so near truth, it is more likely to lead astray.

Nelson Mandela, a better man, not a bitter man, made our world a better place in which to live. His life and leadership exemplify the highest courage, dignity, and dedication to human liberation.

Isn’t it strange how the leaders of nations can talk so eloquently about peace while they prepare for war? … There is no way to make peace while preparing for war.

In terms of the romantic kind of lead, I just never enjoy those movies very much. Maybe they’ll come to interest me more as I get older. I doubt it, but maybe. Romantic comedies tend to be, for me, an oxymoron.

You’ve got to be flexible. Directors do a massive amount of planning and homework, and if after all that your director decides to throw it all out of the window and shoot spontaneously, then you must follow his lead.

Sloppy language leads to sloppy thought, and sloppy thought to sloppy legislation.

We’re the leaders. Look around. Everything we do, we’re gonna see everyone else try to do it.

If you have a few hundred followers and you let some of them molest children, they call you a cult leader. If you have a billion, they call you Pope.