The 2021 Maradona Cup was the 1st edition of the Maradona Cup, a club friendly football match established to honour the late Argentine footballer Diego Maradona, widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport.[1][2][3][4] The match was played at Mrsool Park in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, on 14 December 2021[5][6][7][8][9] and was contested by FC Barcelona and Boca Juniors, two clubs that Maradona played for during his career.[10]
Maradona played for Boca Juniors after being traded from Argentinos Juniors in 1981,[11][12] winning the 1981 Metropolitano championship and leaving the next season to then return in 1995 until his official retirement in 1997. On the other hand, Barcelona were the first European club Maradona played for after his first period at Boca Juniors. During his two seasons with Barcelona, Maradona won the Copa del Rey, the Supercopa de España and the Copa de la Liga.[13]
Match
Summary
After the match ended in a 1–1 draw with goals from Ferran Jutglà and Exequiel Zeballos, Boca Juniors defeated Barcelona 4–2 on penalties to win the Maradona Cup.[14][15]
^Diego Maradona: por qué fue el mejor futbolista de la historia on El Tiempo
^Maradona: el mejor de todos los tiempos on La Voz de Galicia
^"Barcelona and Boca Juniors will play inaugural Maradona Cup 2021". AS Soccer. 25 October 2021. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
^"ম্যারাডোনা কাপে আর্জেন্টাইন দলের বিপক্ষে লড়বে বার্সেলোনা". Daily Dhaka Post (in Bengali). 26 October 2021. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
^"Dec 14 confirmed as date for Maradona Cup match between Barcelona and Boca Juniors in Saudi Arabia". Daily Arab News. 25 October 2021. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
^"FC Barcelona and Boca Juniors to meet in Maradona Cup in honour of the Argentine legend". Fcbarcelona.com. 25 October 2021. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
^"Barca and Boca Junior to play Maradona Cup in Saudi Arabia". Super Sports. 26 October 2021. Archived from the original on 28 October 2021. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
^Oficial: Boca y Barcelona jugarán la Maradona Cup, Olé by Leandro Contento, 25 Oct 2021
^A 30 años del pase de Maradona a Boca | Fútbol - La Voz, 20 Feb 2011
^Maradona a Boca: 40 años de un pase, Página/12, 22 Feb 2021
^Boca-Barcelona confirmado: jugarán la Maradona Cup en Arabia Saudita on TyC Sports, 25 Oct 2021
^Boca venció por penales al Barcelona en Arabia Saudita y se quedó con la Copa Maradona, Clarín
^Boca venció a Barcelona en los penales y se alzó con la Copa Maradona on Télam
Boca Juniors
50'
