Maradona to return to the sidelines?

Diego Maradona was one of the best soccer stars of all time (“Hand of God” notwithstanding) yet his record as a coach has been disappointing. As head of the Argentine men’s national team he came under fire for selecting too many players to the squad, thus resulting in a few embarrassing losses during the World Cup qualifying process. His war with the media continued after Argentina made it into this year’s World Cup where a talented team ended with a woeful 4-0 quarterfinal loss to Germany. Shortly after the tournament ended, Maradona was fired and it seemed doubtful that any club or nation would hire such a volatile personality as a coach.

Will Portugal step forward and take the chance?

Former Argentina boss Diego Maradona is interested in taking over the Portugal job after Carlos Queiroz was sacked last week, according to reports…

"It's true [Maradona is interested],'' Alejandro Mancuso, one of Maradona's assistants during his spell as Argentina coach, told the A Bola sports daily. ''Diego and I talked about it, and it is a project that attracts us. He is willing and has availability, but has not been contacted yet."

The Portuguese soccer federation (FPF) is reportedly interested in a foreign coach for its team, which is why Maradona’s name has been floated around. Yet there are rumors that other more experienced former coaches may be in the running for the Portuguese post such as Mexican Javier Aguirre and Argentine Jose Pekerman.

With the FPF supposedly seeking a permanent replacement for Queiroz by next month, Maradona may be in a prime position to return to the sidelines and lead the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Hugo Almeida. Perhaps that would be a better birthday gift for El Diez instead of risking being arrested at his birthday bash next month in Italy.

Image- AFP
Online Sources- AFP, ESPN, Reuters, The Latin Americanist