Maradona to stay in Argentina team hotel ahead of World Cup final

Argentina's national team will be accompanied by legend Diego Maradona as they prepare for Sunday's FIFA World Cup final against Germany at the Maracana stadium.

  

Facts about the final World Cup Special:

The 1986 World Cup winner has checked himself into the same hotel as the Albiceleste squad in Rio's beachside neighbourhood of Barra da Tijuca, reports Xinhua. It will be the first time this tournament that Maradona will visit Alejandro Sabella's team, which has been based in Vespasiano, near the southeastern city of Belo Horizonte. Maradona has been in Brazil during the World Cup as a journalist for Venezuelan television broadcaster TeleSur. His presence is understood to have irked some members of Argentina's Football Association. 

The entity's president Julio Grondona, with whom Maradona has a long-running feud, accused the former Barcelona and Napoli forward of bringing bad luck to the team during their group match against Iran in Belo Horizonte. The 53-year-old left the Mineirao stadium late in the match with the scores tied at 0-0 before Lionel Messi promptly scored the winning goal. Maradona was captain of the Argentine team that beat Germany 3-2 at the 1986 World Cup final at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. 

The Albiceleste, who progressed to the showpiece at the Maracana after a 4-2 penalty shootout win over Netherlands, are aiming to lift their third World Cup and their first since Mexico in 1986 where they defeated die Mannschaft 3-2 in the final. Continue...

Maradona inspired the Argentines to the trophy with his displays in 1986, winning the Golden Ball en route to the triumph, and says he would be delighted if Messi does the same.

"If on Sunday Messi has to overcome Maradona to lift the cup, I'll give him the red carpet," the 53-year-old told the De Zurda TV programme. "He will be the player who will define the game.  The only fear I have is that he is tired, but in the end you cannot be tired. I think he will understand. If you miss a shot on Sunday, you only resemble the best in the world." 

Tomorrow's final represents the third time Germany and Argentina have met at this stage of the competition, and Maradona insisted that he was happy to face Joachim Low's side despite their stunning 7-1 win over Brazil in the semis. "Germany is not impossible," he added.  "Argentina can do it.  Against Algeria, we saw one Germany, and against Brazil [we saw] another. We all expected it to be Brazil in the final.  Argentina are going in strengthened. Once again Argentine football is back at the top.  The jersey had lost prestige.  Today it got it back. "The Argentines need to win this final. It could not be an all European final in South America, so we represent our continent. We could not allow it."