Boca Juniors striker Carlos Tevez dedicates goal to Diego Maradona by celebrating strike with club jersey given to him by the late Argentine legend… but it earned him a booking from the referee!
- Diego Maradona died aged 60 last Wednesday following chronic heart failure
- Football world is in mourning for the legendary Argentine forward
- Carlos Tevez celebrated scoring for Boca Juniors with tribute to Maradona
- But by taking off his jersey he was booked by the referee for his actions
- Maradona starred for the Argentine giants in 1981 before moving to Barcelona
- Forward returned to the Buenos Aires club for two years before ending his career
Tributes continue to pour in to mark the passing of Diego Maradona, with Carlos Tevez the latest to show his appreciation for the football legend.
The former Manchester City striker was on target for one of Maradona’s former club Boca Juniors in their Copa Libertadores clash at Internacional – the South American equivalent of the Champions League.
His 63rd minute well taken goal on the turn inside the penalty area during a first leg last-16 tie in Porto Alegre, Brazil proved crucial in a 1-0 win
Carlos Tevez took of his Boca Juniors shirt after scoring to reveal a 1981 jersey from the club
Tevez revealed the jersey was given to him by Diego Maradona as he sought to pay tribute to the Argentine football legend following his goal in the Copa Libertadores win at Internacional
To celebrate his goal te 36-year-old took off his Boca jersey to reveal another of the club from 1981, which he revealed after the game was given to him by Maradona who died last Wednesday,
‘It was a small tribute to Diego with a shirt that he gave me from ’81,’ Tevez told reporters after the match.
‘I’m very happy to have given him that happiness that surely he’ll have seen from above.’
‘It was tough. But we had to battle on. It was a difficult week in which we also had to play in the [Argentine] league. It’s not a good time for Argentinian society. We’ve lost a great idol and it wasn’t easy to play but we did very well.’
Team-mates congratulate the 36-year-old on his goal during the last-16 clash in Brazil
However, Tevez was booked for his celebration having taken off his match jersey
Tevez’s tributes though were looked down upon by the match referee who opted to book the striker’s emotional celebration for taking off his match jersey.
The Boca skipper also kissed his captain’s armband, displayed in the colours of the Argentine flag and the words ‘King of Kings’, in another act of tribute following the strike.
Maradona died of ‘acute lung edema and chronic heart failure’, according to a preliminary autopsy report, in his sleep at noon while resting at his home in Tigre, Buenos Aires, Argentina, last Wednesday.
The 60-year-old World Cup winner was receiving round-the-clock medical care at a house in a gated community where he was recuperating from surgery to remove a clot on his brain in early November.
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The former Manchester United and Manchester City striker kisses his armband in another personal tribute following his winning goal in the second half.
With the Argentine flag as a backdrop and an infinite symbol, Maradona’s captain’s armband also read ‘king of kings’ in reference to Maradona
The forward had a brief stint at Boca Juniors at the start of his career, scoring 28 goals in 40 league games in 1981 before his talents were spotted by Barcelona at the age of 21.
The Argentine then returned at the end of his career for a couple of seasons before hanging up his boots in 1997.
With Boca only needing a draw in the return leg on home soil, former Manchester United and Manchester City striker Tevez will be hoping to guide them into the quarter-finals.
‘This tie hasn’t finished. We know that we’ve taken a big step but there’s still a long way to go,’ Tevez added.
Maradona played for Boca Juniors near the start of his career in 1981 (left) and at the end of his career for two years before retiring in 1997
Tevez (right) is pictured with Maradona (centre) as well as Lionel Messi during the mid 2000s
