"A jugar": Maradona's game in 2015 generated a viral meme in the 2026 World Cup
Those who like football and follow the sport may have already come across a video of Maradona, wearing the Morocco shirt, giving a lecture in an unfamiliar dressing room. But the meme involving the Argentine idol was quite niche and, until then, little known.
It turns out that, during the 2026 World Cup, nine years after the original video was recorded, the excerpt went viral again and has taken over the networks.
"I've already recorded every millimeter of this video and I'm going to saturate my friends in the coming months by incessantly reproducing these mannerisms", wrote an internet user about the video that features Maradona asking for respect from the fans and then "playing".
In several different accounts, the short excerpt of just 16 seconds has millions of views.
Although it is not possible, as is the case with almost every meme, to know for sure why this specific moment is going viral, we can go back in time and remember the game that gave rise to Maradona's words.
I've already recorded every millimeter of this video and I'm going to saturate my friends in the coming months by incessantly reproducing these gestures pic.twitter.com/bwNlomlM3p
- luiza de jesus (@luizasonssa) July 3, 2026
Visit to Morocco
In November 2015, Maradona went to Morocco on a visit that included several events. The press at the time reported the furor caused by the Argentine idol when he passed, for example, through the city of El Aaiun, in Western Sahara.
Maradona was invited by the Moroccan government to play in a commemorative match that would feature a team of former international players against a team made up of local players.
The reason was the 40th anniversary of the Green March, a demonstration coordinated by the Moroccan government for the occupation of Western Sahara that took place in 1975.
Videos from the time show Maradona off the field, dancing among residents and even wearing traditional costumes. At the time, the former player assured press outlets that he accepted the invitation without financial compensation and did not comment on the conflict between Morocco and the Saharawi independence movement in Western Sahara.
The game, the lecture and the meme
Despite the presence of other stars such as George Weah, Alexandro Altobelli and Francesco Toldo, Maradona received the most ovation.
The exhibition game took place at the Sheikh Mohamed Laghdaf Stadium and Maradona, already retired and out of shape, played a few minutes, but enough to score a great goal from the edge of the box and leave a remarkable video. Another one in the midst of a career full of remarkable and controversial moments on and off the field.
Wearing the green shirt of the Morocco national team, Maradona spoke in Spanish with the other players before the match.
"Let's show respect to people and then let's play, let's play", said the star, before walking away with the ball under his arm and leaving another mark for posterity, even without knowing that a simple speech, in a commemorative game, would be recovered and celebrated so many years later.
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Source: CNN