Caniggia made the remarks on Monday (August 17) afternoon while attending the prize-giving ceremony of the Dhaka Inter-School Champions League at Fortis Ground, an event organized by the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) and the tournament organizers.
Whenever Caniggia’s name comes up, the conversation inevitably turns to Diego Maradona. Reflecting on his long-time friend and former Argentina teammate, Caniggia spoke warmly about their years together.
“Diego was my friend. We Argentines miss him a lot. We played together for many years with the national team. I was a little younger than him, so I grew up watching him. Playing alongside him at Boca Juniors was also a wonderful experience,” Caniggia said.
One of the most unforgettable moments involving the two Argentine legends came during a match, when footage of Caniggia and Maradona sharing a kiss became famous among football fans around the world. Asked about the incident, Caniggia played down the moment and said there was nothing unusual behind it.
“That famous kiss was actually very natural. He wanted to do it, and we did it. There was nothing else behind it. It was simply a friendly kiss between two friends,” he explained.
Caniggia’s visit to Bangladesh has attracted considerable attention, particularly because of the country’s enormous following for Argentina. While the passion of Bangladeshi Argentina supporters has received widespread attention on social media in recent years, Caniggia said he had been aware of Bangladesh’s love for Argentine football for a long time.
“I have known since 1986 that people in Bangladesh follow Argentina and Brazil. It is a great pleasure for me to come to Bangladesh for the first time and see their love up close. Argentina has supporters all over the world, but you rarely see the kind of passion and love that people in Bangladesh have,” he said.
Bangladesh have yet to qualify for the FIFA World Cup, but the country’s extraordinary football fever becomes a talking point internationally whenever the tournament takes place. Bangladeshi supporters have even been mentioned at press conferences involving Argentina and Brazil on several occasions.
Caniggia was also asked when he thought Bangladesh might finally make it to the World Cup. The former Argentina forward offered an encouraging answer.
“Qualifying for the World Cup is always difficult. But I hope Bangladesh will continue to improve and move forward. Now there are 48 teams in the World Cup, and perhaps there will be even more teams in the future. That could create an opportunity for Bangladesh. I believe Bangladesh will play in the World Cup one day,” he said.
Caniggia came to Bangladesh specifically to present the trophy to the winners of the Dhaka Inter-School Champions League final. However, heavy rain prevented him from watching the entire match.
Navy College were crowned champions after defeating Bangladesh International Tutorial (BIT) in the final. Caniggia later presented the trophy to the victorious team, bringing an exciting conclusion to his first visit to Bangladesh.
0 Comments