Maradona: 'Juve and Cavani...'

Diego Armando Maradona reveals his dream of becoming Napoli Coach and warns Juventus would be “unstoppable” with Edinson Cavani.

“Can this Napoli win? It’s tough, because Juventus are great again while Milan and Inter will get back on their feet,” he told Sky Sport Italia during the Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai.

“Antonio Conte has a great squad at his disposal and they remind me of Michel Platini’s era. I daren’t think how unstoppable they would be with a striker like Cavani. How much of an advantage would they have, considering they’re eight points clear now?”

El Pibe de Oro has experienced the passion of the Napoli fans at full force and warns it can be a blessing or a curse.

“Napoli have the chance of winning, but we mustn’t put too much pressure on Cavani and his teammates. We must leave them to work in peace.

“It is a great team and I like Walter Mazzarri. Of course, it’s tough to beat ‘my’ Napoli, as that was a team made up of real men.

“I love the city and the fans, but the pressure in Naples is enormous. My daughter couldn’t leave the hotel because people chased her to get a photograph. In the end she had to run off to Rome.

“I do expect the current side to do well and win a few trophies. I am a Napoli fan and nobody can ever doubt that. I tell the supporters that I love them very much.”

The former Argentina Coach has also declared he’d love to lead the Partenopei from the bench one day.

“Returning to Napoli is my dream, even more so than for the fans. However, it’s difficult for me to enter Europe at the moment, as I have an issue with the tax office.

“I hope one day someone will say that Maradona can return to Naples without having to worry.”

Diego Maradona feels Juventus would become a truly formidable force if they signed Edinson Cavani.

The Napoli hot-shot has been linked with a move to Turin as the Bianconeri's well-documented pursuit of a top-class goalscorer continues, and Maradona believes the Uruguay international with the Serie A champions would be a match made in heaven.


He told Tuttosport: "I cannot imagine what it would be like if Juve had, for example, Cavani as a centre-forward. How many points [would they win]?

"The team of [Antonio] Conte reminds me of Michel [Platini], my nemesis. Ultimately this is a very solid and compact team. They create at least five opportunities to score in every game and two, sometimes three, are taken."

Maradona went on to praise the trio of Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal and Claudio Marchisio, adding that such an impressive midfield easily makes up for their shortcomings elsewhere in the side.

When asked what he feels Juventus' greatest asset is, he said: "The midfield, without a doubt. Pirlo, Vidal and Marchisio are world class. They do everything: defence, assists, goals. With players of this calibre Juventus are one of the few teams that do not need to jump the midfield because it is from there that everything is born.

"In defence, I do not see phenomena or champions. Apart from [Gianluigi] Buffon, but he is the keeper, not the defender. Anyway, I repeat, a midfield like that is more than enough."

Maradona was in Dubai for the Globe Soccer Awards, where he was handed the accolade for Best Player of the Century by Uefa president Michel Platini, with whom he was a fierce rival as a player.

The 52-year-old revealed he was delighted to receive the award, adding that it was "fantastic" to be handed the prize by the France legend.

"I'm excited. I did not expect this. And for Platini to reward me .... It's fantastic," he added.

"Michel is an example for all, he had a wonderful career in all the areas of football in which he was involved. And in a couple of years, he will rise to the last step: the throne of Fifa. Boys follow his example."