30 years after the most unexpected society: the day Maradona was about to wear the number 10 of the Santos team promoted by Pelé

Diego Armando Maradona is possibly the most incomprehensible figure in history. And we're not just talking about football. One day in Diego's life could be equivalent to millions of hours spent by an ordinary citizen, and there's the enormous archive to confirm this. That's why stories about him and about him proliferate and are exaggerated. Many, too, are lost in the midst of such a wealth of experiences. And these days it will be 30 years since a transfer that was so close to being finalized and that promised to break all the mold. Who remembers that Maradona was able to play for Santos in Brazil after a negotiation spearheaded by Pelé himself?

“There's a formal agreement, it's almost done. But it's not signed yet, as they say. It would be a global contract, as a player and coach,” Diego confessed to Clarín from Monte Carlo on May 26, 1995. “ When no one offered me anything, Pelé approached me ,” added the Ten.

Counting Maradona's days and thoughts is a daunting and probably impossible task. Therefore, it's usually best to try to do it chronologically. And Diego's flirtation with Pelé's Santos began on May 7 , when the 1986 World Cup champion in Mexico said goodbye to his coaching position at Racing Club. There, on the fields of the Empleados del Banco Central club in Tapiales, where the Academy coached, Diego announced that he was willing to listen to offers to play again.

Maradona had been banned by FIFA for 15 months following his doping test at the 1994 World Cup in the United States. After his time at Racing as a coach alongside Carlos Fren, the return to the pitch was set for September 1995, and with that goal in mind, Diego began working with physical trainers Néstor Lentini, Javier Valdecantos, and Javier Vilamitjana, all under the close supervision of Fernando Signorini.

The first meeting between Maradona and Pelé, then Minister of Sports in Fernando Henrique Cardoso's government, took place on May 13 in Rio de Janeiro. There, the Brazilian proposed joining the company Pelé Sports and Marketing . "The contract is still in its infancy. The important thing is that Pelé and I discussed everything. The two of us went into a room in his house alone so no one would get in the way. We talked about our past differences, FIFA, and the players' union. I met a different Pelé who spoke to me like a father . He offered me the shirt that used to be his and wants me to look after his son (goalkeeper Edinho)," confessed the Ten.

"Maradona will have a two-year contract, and the company will retain the right to project his image," Roberto Seabra, vice president of Pelé Sports, was bold enough to tell the Brazilian media.

Negotiations began to unfold, and the impossible seemed possible: Diego in Brazil . Maradona's team was held in talks by Guillermo Coppola and lawyer Daniel Bolotnicoff, while Seabra was speaking on behalf of Pelé's company. Also participating in the talks were Samir Jorge Abdul Hack, president of Santos, and Renato Duprant, head of Unicor, the official sponsor of Peixe. "The contract is signed: $18 million for 28 months," announced France Football magazine. Brazilian media, meanwhile, indicated that the idea was to pair him with Edmundo and Careca, his teammate from his golden years at Napoli.

"Just because I've made arrangements with Pelé's company doesn't mean I have to play for Santos. Another club could appear," Maradona assured Clarín from Monte Carlo, where he had been watching a Formula 1 race. Hours later, he would travel to Portugal to interview Claudio Paul Caniggia for América 2. And days before, he had attended the Champions League final between Ajax and Milan in Vienna, Austria. Maradona's life was always that hectic.

But a significant event in history occurred on the night of May 23rd and would change the state of things: Boca's Board of Directors, headed by Antonio Alegre, unanimously decided to begin negotiations with Maradona . "It's terrible what Boca's leaders are doing: they're just doing it to cover themselves. They know I want to be a coach and a player. It's a done deal," Diego declared from France on May 27th.

Maradona's intention to be both a player and a coach seemed firm. Until he started making some concessions. As we know, myths and great figures are full of contradictions. "I would only accept playing for Boca if they hired César Luis Menotti or Telé Santana," said the Ten. Silvio Marzolini was Boca's manager at the time. Later, Diego's list was joined by other coaches with whom he agreed to work: Alfio Basile, Héctor Veira, Carlos Bilardo, and Arrigo Sacchi.

Maradona's final decision was made in early June. On the 2nd, the meeting that seemed definitive for Diego's arrival at Santos took place at the Sheraton Hotel in Retiro Park. Coppola, Bolotnicoff, Seabra (Pelé Sport), and Duprant (Unicor) participated in the meeting. There were photos and smiles as they left. It's possible that champagne was even toasted that midnight. And Maradona? On the 3rd, he was at Carlos Tejedor Stadium playing a friendly match between two local teams (Huracán and Argentino), and that evening he had dinner with President Carlos Menem at the Olivos estate. "Stay in Argentina," was what the Riojan asked him privately.

The Brazilian emissaries returned to Santos with Diego's final demands. The deal was ready. But the president of Peixe was firm with the Argentine's financial demands: $3 million upon signing and another $12 million spread over 28 months . "I regret not being able to satisfy the fans, but as Pelé himself recognizes, it's preferable to maintain our down-to-earth policy," Abdul Hack retorted on June 7. He added: "Besides, we have a great coach in Joãozinho." It would be the beginning of the end for Maradona in Brazil .

"Maradona is one step away from Boca," Clarín reported on Friday, June 9, the day Diego finally agreed to join Boca's management. " I agree to play and for Marzolini to remain the coach ," Maradona told vice president Carlos Heller over the phone during a break from training at CENARD. "I'm going to be the coach on the pitch and I'm going to ask for reinforcements: I'd like to play with Cani ," added the "Diez" player on Fútbol de Primera.

"I didn't have a clear offer from Boca Juniors. They said they wanted me, but no one came forward, no one said the right words. I wanted to stay in Argentina; I didn't feel like moving again, and that's why I rejected the Brazil offer," Maradona confessed to Clarín on June 17, considering his transfer to Pelé's Santos as a no-go.

The story finally came to a close on July 23rd when Maradona, along with Caniggia, signed their contracts with Boca Juniors. Months later, on October 7th, Diego officially reappeared against Colón de Santa Fe to begin his final round as a footballer. But that's another story, the one that brought Segurola and Habana to life.