Hugo Maradona, Diego Armando’s brother, died on Tuesday at the age of 52 at his home in Naples as a result of a cardiac arrest. He was born on May 9, 1969 and was the younger brother of the great football myth, who died on November 25, 2020 on the outskirts of Buenos Aires.
Hugo, known as ‘the Turk’, tried to follow in his brother’s footsteps, an aspiration that was quite a challenge. He started at Argentinos Juniors, the club that gave him international prominence. It made debut in First Division and it participated in the equipment that obtained the Inter-American Glass of 1986. It only played 16 parties.
He lived a strange year in Argentina, in 1985, when there was talk of two Maradonas at the same time. Diego had already settled in Napoli and was the main reference of the team led by Carlos Bilardo, with a view to the World Cup in Mexico. At the same time, little Hugo, who looked like the captain of the senior team, was leading the under-17 team. This is where Fernando Redondo and Fernando Cáceres played, who later shone in Spanish football.
But who attracted all eyes was ‘the Turk’, among other things because it showed details of Diego. At times it seemed like a calc on the field and these looks excited the fans. He even called the goals the same way. The dynasty seemed assured.
With the ’10’ on his back
That under-17, supervised by Carlos Pachamé, Bilardo’s assistant in the senior team, was left with the South American Tournament defeating Brazil, all in the hands of Hugo Maradona, who, as appropriate, was number 10 on the back.
The promise that was insinuated in this contest never came to fruition. The lights that illuminated ‘the Turquito’ soon went out. Hugo Maradona was sold to Italy, where his last name was the best possible gateway, but at the same time a weight difficult to bear because they were always compared.
What was expected of him did not come. Maybe too much was expected. He was part of Rayo Vallecano between 1988 and 1990. He also played for Rapid in Vienna. He continued his career in Japan, without the spark that had ever been hinted at. At the time of his death he coached Real Parete, a club in the third category of Naples.
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