At the young age of six, Nicolas Chiesa was mesmerised by the delightful plays that the late Diego Armando Maradona put on display during the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.

Fast forward 36 years later, Argentina-born Chiesa will be stepping himself on the World Cup platform when he will be part of the Ecuador’s technical staff as assistant coach.

“During the 1990 World Cup, I registered every single game on the VHS and I used to watch them over and over again, even a year later,” Chiesa told the Times of Malta.

“For us South Americans, the World Cup is a special tournament – especially for Argentina, because it brings back memories of the glorious days of the past.”

Chiesa admitted that although he was petrified by what Maradona could do with the ball, he had a huge admiration towards Carlos Bilardo.

Bilardo led Argentina to the 1986 World Cup triumph and finished runner-up in the following edition, held in Italy.

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