Live
- Govt plans to establish offshore Johns Hopkins University Campus in India
- Goa Aces clinch Indian Racing League title
- Study finds how hormone therapy can reshape the skeleton
- High-street fashion players looking at India for manufacturing: Report
- Shreyas Iyer to lead Mumbai as Prithvi Shaw returns for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy
- 'Failed to resolve crisis': NPP withdraws support from BJP govt in Manipur
- Chennai: Actress Kasturi Remanded in Custody Until 29th of This Month
- Aaqib Javed likely to become Pakistan's new white-ball head coach
- BJP panel to draft poll charge sheet against AAP govt in Delhi
- Allu Arjun Thanks Fans in Patna, Teases 'Pushpa 2' Release
Maradona magic floors Kolkata kids
Diego Maradona showed glimpses of his famous dribbling skills, his deft left-footed touches and even crooned Spanish songs as he mesmerised a bunch of school children during an event in Barasat on Tuesday.
Kolkata: Diego Maradona showed glimpses of his famous dribbling skills, his deft left-footed touches and even crooned Spanish songs as he mesmerised a bunch of school children during an event in Barasat on Tuesday.
On an unusual muggy winter afternoon, the workshop with about 60 school children, including girls, at a private sports academy at Kadambagachi, Barasat, about 35km from here turned out to be an elaborate one.
The 57-year-old, who turned up in shorts, enjoyed every bit of it and the gruelling session literally drained him as he was seen drenched in sweat.
But the 'God of football' had no complaints and was eloquent in his three-minute speech in Spanish.
"I'm here for football. It is a big step, that we take with the minister -- to uplift football in India," he said about his three-day private trip which was co-sponsored by Trinamool Congress MLA Sujit Bose, among others.
"India really has good players and a football school of boys. Your minister and I must stop this notion that football wants India and India wants football. Together with the minister and the people we will bring football. I have always been very well received in India. Thanks and kisses!" he signed off.
The Argentine football legend was seen shouting and making the 'young guns' make two queues as he played passes for them to shoot from the spot.
Maradona may have made the trip to the city after several postponements, but the Argentine legend today skipped the much-hyped 'Diego versus Dada' exhibition match, leaving cricket icon Sourav Ganguly disappointed.
A poorly-organised show meant that the 57-year-old became tired on an unusually sultry December afternoon and left after just kicking off the match and exchanging pleasantries with Ganguly and his team.
Ganguly, who watched Maradona's 1986 World Cup triumph, thus missed out on a chance to play against his childhood idol. "It would have been great to have played with him but he could not play," Ganguly said after featuring in the seven-a-side exhibition match.
