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Former teammates of Diego Maradona in the national team of Argentina gathered today in Qatar and paid tribute to the legendary striker on the second anniversary of his death, reports the Reuters agency.

He died on November 25, 2020 at the age of 60.

Maradona's former teammates gathered outside the CONMEBOL Tree of Dreams, a designated area in Doha for South American soccer fans, to pay tribute to one of the all-time greats.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino was also present at the event, BNR notes.

"We should not only pay tribute, but also celebrate Diego Maradona the person and the footballer. There should be a day like this at every World Cup in the future," said Infantino. 

Ricardo Giusti, who played with Maradona in the championships in 1986 and 1990, is of the opinion that it is impossible to compare the former international and Lionel Messi.

The latter scored in the loss against Saudi Arabia and became the first Argentine to score in four different tournaments.

"We can't compare them because we can't say which one is better than the other. They are very different, but they are both geniuses, and they are both Argentines. We should be glad to have watched them." he stated.

Messi, who is likely to play his last World Cup at the age of 35, was on target from the penalty spot in the defeat to Saudi Arabia.

The captain described the loss as a big blow and added that he hoped Argentina would rise up against Mexico.

National holiday in Saudi Arabia tomorrow after the win against Argentina

Jorge Buruchaga, who scored the winning goal in the 1986 final, is adamant Argentina cannot afford any mistakes in their last two Group C games.

"I hope Messi plays a big game tomorrow, as everyone really wants. Today, however, we pay tribute to Diego and this is the least we can do for this football genius who touched the hearts of so many," said Buruchaga.

Diego Maradona

Maradona