After spending a lively summer roaring Argentina on at the World Cup, it would appear that a return to club management has seen Diego Maradona relax and settle down again.
Maradona was appointed as new head coach of Mexican second-tier side Dorados de Sinaloa back in September and has since overseen two victories from his first four games in charge. Away from the pitch, the 57-year-old has proven that he still has the ability to create a stir everywhere he goes, even his local steak restaurant.
Indeed, Maradona managed to cause chaos in the kitchen at the grill owned by fellow Argentinian Rodrigo Latorre — not by acting up or causing a scene, but by ordering risotto!
“I got a call from the club (Dorados) the day after Maradona arrived in Culiacan,” Latorre explained. “It was around 7 p.m. and I got a call from a club staff person and he wanted us to grill some lean steak for Diego — and then he said that Maradona also wanted a risotto.
“Well, what a commotion, because in our restaurant we don’t serve risotto and none of us had any idea how to make it!”
Rodrigo revealed that his first thought was to source a risotto (obviously a favourite of Maradona’s from his Neapolitan days) from another restaurant but due to the time, nowhere suitable was open. He then rang two of his friends, Adriana and Rita, who saved the day by traipsing down to the Los Argentinos restaurant and making a bowl of four-cheese and mushroom rice.
“The funny thing is that the next day they called me again and they wanted risotto again,” Rodrigo added. “So this time we brought him the grilled meats along with risotto from another restaurant as well as another serving of risotto made by my friends.
“On the third day, they called us again but this time Maradona specifically asked for the risotto made by my friends. I told my wife that she needed learn how to make Adriana’s risotto and since then she has been preparing it for him.”
Hay ciertos lujos que uno se puede dar terminando el #TrabajoDorado. 🙌🏻😍 pic.twitter.com/YW0DfL1QMD
— #HazlaDeDiez (@Dorados) 4 October 2018
Certainly sounds like the Diego Maradona we all know and love. He can’t even order his favourite meal without causing pandemonium to break loose.
Still, the Dorados manager managed to burn off at least a few of the calories by joining in with the merriment during a recent water-logged training session.
Several quizzical eyebrows were raised when Maradona took the job last month but it certainly looks like he’s having fun — and isn’t that the main thing?