"Sometimes I wonder if people will still love me," Maradona in his last interview before death
The former Barcelona and Napoli man, who had his fair share of personal problems with drugs and alcohol, came across as incredibly vulnerable and talked a lot about what football gave him and the love he experienced.
Diego Maradona's last ever interview has a whole new level of emotion and poignance after his passing aged 60.
`The World Cup-winning Argentine spoke to newspaper Clarin just days before he was rushed into hospital and just weeks prior to suffering a cardiac arrest that ultimately claimed his life.
The former Barcelona and Napoli man, who had his fair share of personal problems with drugs and alcohol, came across as incredibly vulnerable and talked a lot about what football gave him and the love he experienced.
He expressed his desire to meet his mother, 'Dona Tota' again in heaven after her passing nine years ago.
"Sometimes I wonder if people will still love me," Maradona said, translated by the Mirror.
"I am going to be eternally grateful to the people. Every day they surprise me, what I experienced in this return to Argentine football I will never forget.
"It exceeded what I could imagine. Because I was out for a long time and sometimes one wonders if people will still love me, if they will continue to feel the same.
"When I entered the field in Gimnasia on the day of the presentation I felt that love with people is never going to end.
"I went and I am very happy. Soccer gave me everything I have, more than I ever imagined. And if I hadn't had that addiction, I could have played a lot more.
"But today that is past, I am fine and what I regret the most is not having my parents. Always make that wish, one more day with Tota but I know that from heaven she is proud of me and that she was very happy."
Still manager of Gimnasia y Esgrima at the time of his death, Maradona was hopeful for the future of Argentina as a nation.
Maradona himself was poor growing up and so his wish was to see his compatriots happy and healthy.
Maradona added: "I want all Argentines to be well, we have a beautiful country and I trust that our President will be able to get us out of this moment.
"It makes me very sad when I see children who do not have enough to eat, I know what it is to go hungry, I know what it feels like to feel when you do not eat for several days and that cannot happen in my country.
"That is my wish, to see the Argentines happy, with work and eating every day."
