In one of the most important and historical sporting events organized by Riyadh Season 2021, Riyadh will host an exciting football event, the Maradona Cup, on Dec.14, 2021. The Maradona Cup is a tribute to Diego Armando Maradona, one of the greatest football legends of all time. The match honors the unique legacy that Maradona left in the world of football. Riyadh will witness an astounding football match between the Spanish football team FC Barcelona and the Argentinian team Club Atletico Boca Juniors, as part of the Season's activities. Turki Al-shaikh, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA), tweeted: "A historic match, Barcelona VS Boca Juniors for the Maradona Cup... In honor of the legend of world football ... Be ready for December 14... Legends Never Die." Many knew Maradona, who rose from the city of Buenos Aires to stardom, as the greatest player in the history of football, and the world witnessed deep feelings of sadness after the news of his death, which made news headlines all over the world a year ago. Maradona gave the most remarkable individual performance in the history of the World Cup in Mexico in 1986. Whichever team Maradona played with, the team would win, and most of the teams that Maradona played with became distinguished and very popular. Maradona started his football career with the Argentine Club Atletico Boca Juniors team in the 1981-82 season, before moving to FC Barcelona, where he played for two seasons until 1984. After that, he moved again to Napoli and stayed there until 1991. He then briefly played for Sevilla and before returning to Boca Juniors, where he remained with until his retirement in 1997. It is worth noting that Maradona played an exhibition match for Al-Ahli in Jeddah in 1987, one year after winning the World Cup for Argentina in 1986. The Maradona Cup match, which will be held for the first time, is one of the most distinctive events of Riyadh Season 2021. The Season will also host another historic football match in January 2022 between the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and a team that brings together the stars of the Saudi clubs Al-Hilal and Al-Nasr, which will be coached by French manager Arsene Wenger. There is universal agreement amongst football fans globally that Maradona and Messi are the best players in the history of Argentinian football. This second edition of the Riyadh Season will be held in an area spanning 5.4 million square meters throughout 14 different zones in the capital, Riyadh. This Season's international events and competitions will bring dazzling and unique surprises, including some of the most famous global icons in one place, and it is expected to attract millions of visitors. — SG
