"He wrote history in football and was the best footballer of his time" - Lothar Matthaus pays heartfelt tribute to Diego Maradona on 36th anniversary of Argentina's 1986 World Cup triumph

German legend Lothar Matthaus remembered Diego Maradona on the 36th anniversary of the 1986 triumph. He called the Argentine the "best footballer of his time" and reminisced their encounters.

Maradona may have left for his heavenly abode in 2020, but his legend remains etched in football history for his many incredible moments. The 1986 World Cup was one of those many moments.

He led his national team to the prestigious trophy, which was also the last time the South American nation got their hands on it. The wait continues, 36 years on, as Lionel Messi and co. will try their luck to honor their legend and bring the World Cup trophy back to Argentina this year.

Matthaus was a regular opponent of the late footballer at both club and country level. He paid a heartfelt tribute to 'El Pibe de Oro' or 'The Golden Boy' as Maradona was fondly called. While speaking to GOAL, the 61-year old said:

"He wrote history in football and was the best footballer of his time. We played so many times against each other. He was in Munich for my farewell game and I was in Beunos Aires for his."

The two legends contested the 1986 and 1990 World Cup tournaments. The Argentine wizard led his country to a triumph in 1986 at the expense of Germany. Matthaus returned the favor in the 1990 World Cup with Die Mannschaft.

Speaking on the friendship they shared, the 1990 Ballon d'Or winner reminisced:

"We played two World Cup finals against each other. We played many games in Italy in Serie A when my Inter Milan took on his Napoli. We had a special friendship There was a lot of respect between us. Many times after games where we fought like enemies, we celebrated till late in the morning together."

The fact that the two legends had a deep-rooted friendship is made evident by their efforts to travel to each other's farewell games.

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8 to be tried for World Cup winner Maradona's death

The Argentine wizard died in 2020 while going through post-surgery care in the aftermath of his brain surgery for a blood clot. The Telegraph reported that eight people who were incharge of taking care of 'El Pibe de Oro' will be put on trial for homicide in the Argentine courts.

The judge in the case questioned the behavior of the eight accused, which is believed to have resulted in the tragic passing away of Maradona. If found guilty in this case of 'simple homicide', the eight accused could face prison time of anywhere between eight to 25 years.