Barcelona are likely to be fined €3000 (£2725), according to Sport, after Lionel Messi marked the death of compatriot and Argentina legend Diego Maradona by revealing the shirt of his boyhood club after scoring against Osasuna.
Having scored a goal Maradona would have been proud of during a 4-0 La Liga win on Sunday, Messi took off his Barcelona jersey to reveal a Newell’s Old Boys shirt with the iconic number 10 on the back. Messi started his youth career with Newell's and Maradona played there late in his career in his native Argentina.
The emotional game at the Nou Camp, where Maradona also started his European adventure in 1982 before moving to Napoli, was the first since the 1986 World Cup winner passed away last week, aged 60.
Messi was booked for the tribute under Spanish Football Federation rules, which state a player can’t remove their kit to show any form of message, no matter what it stands for. The regulation also carries a fine of €3000 (£2725), which is likely to be held until the end of the season.
Considered the greatest Argentinian player since Maradona, Messi also played under the Napoli legend at the 2010 World Cup and paid tribute to him on Instagram when he found out about his passing.
“A very sad day for all Argentines and football,” he said. “He leaves us but does not leave, because Diego is eternal. I take all the beautiful moments lived with him and wanted to take the opportunity to send condolences to all his family and friends. RIP.”
Latest Stories
-
‘Tribalism, partisanship and lawlessness are the biggest obstacles to our development’ – Togbe Afede XIV
9 mins -
Rabiot double seals top spot for France
27 mins -
Police vow to arrest South African miners as standoff continues
41 mins -
Togbe Afede XIV livid about state of Ghana’s economy, scandals in government
51 mins -
Top Republican says Trump nominees are ‘disruptors’
1 hour -
Undocumented migrants hope Trump mass deportations only ‘for criminals’
1 hour -
Final phase for mass rape trial that has horrified France
1 hour -
Trump, Musk and new cabinet nominees celebrate at UFC
2 hours -
‘Anointed by God’: The Christians who see Trump as their saviour
2 hours -
‘My parents drove me to raves aged 15’, says Charli XCX
2 hours -
Venezuela frees more than 100 arrested after disputed election result
2 hours -
‘Record breaking’ 60m homes watched Tyson vs Paul fight, Netflix says
2 hours -
Musk rebuked after siding with Meloni on Italy’s foreign migrant centres
3 hours -
GPL 2024/25: Young Apostles hand Samartex first home defeat since March
4 hours -
Unconventional Trump brings openings and perils for Africa
5 hours