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36 years ago, Argentina was preparing for its debut in the World Cup in Mexico at the América stadium in the Federal District. Much was said about how the coexistence of the campus led by Carlos Salvador Bilardoparticularly the relationship between Diego Armando Maradona y Daniel Alberto Passarellawho could not play any game due to illness and injury. Oscar Ruggeri He revealed the details of the internship between the top referents and what happened, according to his version, with the captain of the 1978 world champion team.
Speaking about the clash of strong personalities within a campus, el Cabezón confessed: “We lived it with Passarella-Maradona. They got along, there, because of the personalities of the two. Don’t forget that the other came from being world champion for the first time for Argentina and he was thick too”.
Since Bilardo took office in 1983 as coach of Argentina, he informed Maradona that he was going to be the captain of the National Team. That decision generated an internship with Passarella, who, however, was part of the process and was key to being able to qualify for the World Cup. In the run-up to that tournament there was a memorable meeting between Maradona and Passarella for a photographic production that brought them both together and from there came the famous cover of The graphic with both sporting the Mexican hats.
“We never saw in training fights, throw a kick, always respect. But they are two personalities so up there that they are tremendous. In 1978 he ran with the people in Corral de Bustos with the people celebrating the world championship and later he was with them. To a Passarella who admired and respected him for playing in similar positions”, clarified the former defender in ESPN F90.
“There were tables of four in América and long tables were in Ezeiza. It is a subject that we live. I don’t know if Messi (Lionel) touched him, although he had to be with Riquelme (Juan Román), big guys too. But Messi when he arrived he was not the one he is now, ”he added.
In the run-up to the contest in Mexico, Passarella suffered from enterocolitis that left him out of the first games and then a tear in his left leg. On the subject, the program host, Sebastián Vignolo, raised with Ruggeri, that although nobody wanted that situation to happen to Passarella, if that problem that he had eventually decompressed the internal climate. “Those are some idiots who say boludeses (as to whether Passarella’s decompensation was on purpose)”, shot the Cabezón.
And Ruggeri insisted: “I was in there on the island that touched us, six guys who had to go to sleep in a quincho that was set up where there were three rooms. Passarella was with Tata (Brown), I was with Almirón (Sergio) and Valdano (Jorge) with Trobbiani (Marcelo). The six of us were there, everyone was first class and Passarella was great. What happened is that the band (of captain) had been put together, but Bilardo said it from the first day: the captain is Maradona and it is very possible that none of you will play in the World Cup”.
Passarella came to lose six kilos due to his discomfort and the aforementioned injury prevented him from playing again in the period in which the World Cup took place. In addition, the team was already consolidated and ended up being crowned champion.
“When we played the first game it was Clausen, Tata, me and Garré. Passarella wasn’t doing well, but Clausen, myself, Passarella and Garré trained ten days earlier. That was the team. Borghi (Claudio) played as a starter, Vasco (Olarticoechea) did not play, Enrique (Héctor) and Cuciuffo (José Luis) did not play either, ”said the former defender.
On whether Maradona and Passarella would have lived together on a playing field, Ruggeri stressed: “Forget it, because already Passarella had accepted the captaincy, after talks. Maradona was captain from the first day he arrived and Passarella accepted that he was not going to be the captain because he knew he was going to play another World Cup”.
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