Dundee United wide man Adrian Sporle has paid tribute to Argentine “God” Diego Maradona following the football legend’s death last week.
Countryman Sporle, 25, says Maradona inspired him to become a footballer and spoke of his sadness at his passing from a heart attack at the age of 60 last Wednesday.
Maradona was a hero in his homeland, winning the World Cup with Argentina in 1986 in a career which also saw him star for Barcelona, Napoli and Boca Juniors.
Speaking to the BBC, United defender/midfielder Sporle said: “I cannot name the amount of times my mum bought me videos of Maradona to watch when I was a kid.
“Me and my friends were playing the park outside, we always wanted to be Maradona and that’s the inspiration that got me to become a professional football player.
“For us, the Argentines, he was more than just a football player, he was the representative of our country.
“He had Argentina in his blood and was the most important person we ever had in our history.
“Diego became more than a football player for the Argentines but it was in 1986 when Argentina won the World Cup.
“Previous to that, Argentina was in a very difficult social and economic situation, and he gave so much happiness to the whole country that he became god after that.
“It’s very difficult to name everything in one word but I would say that football has died.”