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28 March 2024

I've changed much in 'amazing' Dubai: Maradona

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By Staff

Argentine football legend Diego Maradona was quoted on Friday as saying he had made the right decision when he picked Dubai as the place to live and that he has changed much since he decided to move to the city.

Quoted by the semi-official Arabic language daily Al Ittihad, Maradona said he admires almost everything in the UAE and described Dubai as an “amazing city.”

“I did not make the wrong decision when I chose Dubai as my destination….unfortunately, people in the West do not know Arabs very well…through my experiences and tours of many countries, I found that I get special respect from the Arabs,” the former Barcelona star said.

“I have learned much during my stay in Dubai……..I have learned tranquility and peace from the Emiratis in particular and Arabs in general. Earlier, my life was like Formula 1 racing..I now live in peace as the Arabs have altered many of my ideas and beliefs. It’s really a very important experience in my life,” said Maradona.

He described soccer as the “game of the poor worldwide. This game is a lifeline for many Latin Americans as it allows many people to move from a poor to a rich environment.”

Maradona said he himself had been raised in a poor family of 10 children before becoming a professional football player. He said the first gift he bought for his mother after moving to Spain’s Barcelona was a “big house.”

“We were 10 children sleeping in a small space. When I got the first installment of my money, I decided to fulfill my dream and buy a big house for my mother and family. It was a very important dream as my obsession was to buy a big house that will accommodate us all after years of poverty,” he said.