A forgotten game and a final Hand of God – Diego Maradona’s Last Dance
“This whole story, everything about it, it’s life. This is how it all works. It makes you smile.”
The story of Diego Maradona’s final match outside of his native Argentina features all the ingredients of a great Maradona tale: a pinch of chaos, a generous dose of charisma and heaps of class. And we’re delighted to say it has now been given the COPA90 treatment with the excellent documentary Diego’s Last Dance.
Featuring rare match and dressing room footage, the film by creative director Adrijan Assoufi showcases Maradona’s little-known appearance in Canada for Toronto Italia on September 12, 1996, one of his final acts on a football pitch that even provided a final glimpse of the Hand of God.
The six-minute film explores the lasting impact Diego’s one-off appearance had on Canadian soccer. Convinced by his brother and Toronto Italia player Raul ‘Lalo’ Maradona, Diego came out of semi-retirement to sign a professional contract for one match, having been temporarily released from his agreement with Boca Juniors.
Representing Toronto Italia versus the Canadian National Soccer League ‘All Star Team’, Maradona rolled back the years to captivate the adoring home crowd. Prompting an impromptu pitch invasion with one moment of skill, Diego also brought the house down with a cheeky nod to his infamous Hand of God against England at the 1986 World Cup, as he leapt high to punch the ball away from opposition defender Paul Hillman.
Almost 25 years later, Diego’s Last Dance combines exclusive interviews with the key figures and players involved with the game, as well as footage from the match and changing room.
“The incredible story of Diego Maradona’s match here always touched me as one that had rarely been told, so Diego’s Last Dance is a celebration of Canadian soccer culture that may otherwise have been missed for future generations,” said Assoufi.
Now it’s time to make yourself a brew, sit back and enjoy.
More from Planet Football
A forensic analysis of Maradona’s 2001 testimonial: Higuita, Zanetti, Riquelme
‘Unbeatable’ – Incredible scouting report of Maradona aged 17 unearthed
El Diez y EL 10: The curious relationship between Maradona and Riquelme