Diego: "To beat us they'll have to leave their skin"

Four days after arriving in Pretoria, Diego Armando MARADONA has finally spoken to the press. Together with team captain Javier MASCHERANO, Diego spoke for about half an hour at a press conference.

As usual here on Mundo Albiceleste, you get the full translation and transcript of the entire press conference in English and before you will read it anywhere else.

Diego MARADONA

On having been in a World Cup-winning side as a player:

"I know what it is to be a world champion because we won it in 1986 and I think my players deserve to get to that final match. They are training as hard as they can. They are giving me their all. They are very focused. With what they are showing me and with God's help, we are going to have a great World Cup. I've said this many times, I would put my hands in the fire for these 23 players. These players are a pleasure to train".

"Today I try to pass on to my players what I felt as a player. Back in 1986 we were surrounded by doubts. Today, these players have a much better level than what we had in 1986. Players these days understand things right away, much faster than what we did in 1986."

On the importance of being already in South Africa:

"We all needed these few days in Pretoria. We had very little time to be together during the World Cup Qualifiers. We wanted to be together. We wanted to train and solidify some concepts we've been talking about during the qualifiers, because we would talk about those concepts but then the players would join their clubs again and it was impossible for us to show our stuff on the pitch. Now we are here fully committed to our training and we are completely focused".

"I'm very happy for the training sessions we are having. For sharing every minute with my players. We know we had a great farewell when we left Ezeiza and as a team we had a great match against Canada. Those who know about football in Argentina (Note: Diego being sarcastic when saying this), were saying Canada were too easy. But then Spain had to sweat to beat Saudi Arabia 3-2. Those who know football in Argentina said we have beaten nobody".

"I'm happy with my present. This is a wonderful job. I have built a very good group of human beings and we are very pleased with them".

On a picture with his grandson that he brought to the table for the press conference:

"This picture in which I'm with my grandson Benjamín (note: The son of Sergio AGÜERO and Giannina MARADONA) is the first one I've got with him on a playing field. This picture will be with me during the entire World Cup. We will let Benjamín decide if he wants to be a football player in the future. But with the father he's got and with his granpa...what are we going to give him as presents? A baseball bat?"

"Written on the picture's frame it says: "Grandfathers take their grandsons to the park, instead, you are taking me to the World Cup". That's something that thrills me".

On Felipe MELO's controversial quote about Argentina:

"I don't think about what Felipe MELO (BRA) said (note: MELO said "Argentina will advance in the World Cup all the way up to the match in which they will have to face Brazil. That will be the end of Argentina"). I'm thinking about MASCHERANO, BOLATTI, ROMERO...Felipe MELO does not provoke me at all. My body and soul are busy constructing the team we all want to see".

On whether he is worried to get to the debut v. Nigeria 18 days after their last friendly:

"I'm not worried by the fact of getting to our debut v. Nigeria without having played a friendly in 18 days. Our training sessions will take us to a level you can't reach by playing a friendly and by playing a friendly you risk getting some players injured".

"We are in a good place when it comes to what we have planed before the World Cup. Now we have time to plan accordingly for the match against Nigeria. The starting XI will be confirmed shortly before the game. My players are giving me a hard time picking the starting lineup. But that's a beautiful problem to have. Because my players are all giving their everything to fight for a place in the team. We are seeing some players that are taking that quality leap that is very important. Some people were saying they were not good enough for the national team and today they are true gems. Not to mention those players that are already established as world class".

On the fact that historically, whenever an Argentine goes abroad and says he is from Argentina, people would say: "Argentina? MARADONA!" and now they are already saying: "Argentina? MARADONA and MESSI" and how does that feel for him and for MESSI:

"I would add Che GUEVARA to that list too. We all do our best to make history and to represent our country abroad. We are now walking together with MESSI and trying to help him so he can be the cream of the crop and win us some World Cup matches".

On whether they have something to do with a group of 23 hooligans being on their same flight to South Africa. Julio GRONDONA and the national government have declared they had nothing to do with those violent fans travelling to South Africa. And today, one of those hooligans said they were dealing directly with Diego MARADONA and Carlos BILARDO and that they have been travelling with the team everywhere since MARADONA took charge of the national team:

"I didn't pay for my dad to come to South Africa, how would I pay to bring people like them?"

"We had planed to travel to Dubai chartering a plane and then fly to Pretoria. When that friendly was cancelled, we had to run like crazy to find tickets elsewhere and we bought those tickets with South African Airways. So in reality, it was us who got in the fans' flight and not the other way around, but if they are barrabravas (hooligans), I don't know. Because we made our VIP entrance and didn't have contact with the rest of the passengers. I stayed on my seat, watching a movie (Note: apparently the movie was "Invictus"), but the movie was in English and when I was growing up English had still to reach Villa Fiorito (laughs). So I slept most of the flight and woke up when we were arriving in South Africa. I have no relationship with this hooligans. If they want fame, tell them to go to work. Nobody will access our training camp. Tell them that Diego Armando MARADONA won't let anybody in. Tell them to get an umbrella in case it rains".

"Julio GRONDONA never told me anything about us flying with fans or something like that. That subject was not discussed at all. I can assure you of that".

On whether he feels him and his team are unanimously supported in Argentina:

"I don't feel an unanimous support. We feel supported to each other. There were lots of opinions that could have been more measured. They were coming from some people that used to play for the national team. But let them be. We swore to each other to train, correct some mistakes and build up our team spirit. We need to overcome those first matches v. Nigeria, South Korea and Greece and then we need to think about writing some golden pages in the history of Argentine football".

On how he sees his players in training:

"I'm even scared of talking about my team. Because our training sessions so far in Pretoria have been scary good. I'm frightened by what my players are showing me. All Argentina fans must rest assured because to beat this team, our rivals will have to run more than usual and will have to leave their skins on the field. And when we attack them, they better be ready for it".


Javier MASCHERANO

On the importance of being in South Africa with some time to work ahead of the World Cup:

"Diego was very clear. We had just a few days in Argentina. Especially with the last three players who joined us after the UEFA Champions League final (note: Diego MILITO, Walter SAMUEL and Martín DEMICHELIS). We had very few training sessions. All the anxiety and the craziness with which the World Cup is lived in Argentina, left us with very little privacy. It was important for us to arrive in South Africa and be able to share more time together".

On why didn't the players or the coaching staff talk to the media since arriving in South Africa:

"Diego decided to have this press conference today. On Thursday there will be another opportunity for the press to talk to the players. We can't be talking to the media every day. This is a long process and, God willing, we are going to reach the final day. But the important thing during these first few days was to find some time for us and concentrate on what we came here for".

On the differences in the build up for Germany 2006 and this for South Africa 2010:

"In Germany it was hot and here it's cold (laughs). It's difficult to compare these squad with the one from four years ago because they are very different. We've got a great group of human beings. From number 1 to number 23, we are all very focused. There is a lot of competition for places, but it's a good competition. One that will help us get to our debut v. Nigeria at our highest level when it comes to motivation".

On the hooligans fiasco:

"We haven't spoken about the hooligan's fiasco at all. We were given our tickets, we got in the plane and we made our way to South Africa. The rest of the passengers in that flight had nothing to do with us. We have a World Cup coming up, which is far too important and we are not thinking about external issues. We haven't discussed what happened and we won't discuss it either. All that matters to us is to train as hard as we can and to get to our match v. Nigeria at our best".