Hugo Maradona and that great game against Brazil in the South American final

Final between Argentina vs. Brazil on the Vélez court in front of 40 thousand people. The visiting goalkeeper, with his team leading 1-0, exceeds the time limit and the referee takes an indirect free kick in his own area. Incredulous, one asks for explanations while the ball is already in the hands of Lorenzo Frutos, a youth from San Lorenzo, to take the free kick almost from the penalty spot. Immediately, while yellow-shirted defenders and albiceleste attackers advance on the ground, they touch him on the back. It’s Hugo Maradona. More awake than all, the “Turk” opens a couple of meters to receive, Frutos passes it to him and the number 9 of that Argentine Under 16 Team puts the right hand to mark the 1-1 partial of the final of the South American 1985.

There were still two genius things left to Diego’s younger brother. At 54 minutes, again with Brazil at the top, he took a bombshell from outside the area that blew the crossbar and was capitalized by Frutos in the lead. Y, At 67, he crowned the feat with an individual maneuver worthy of his surname. He piled up a couple of rivals from left to right, got into the area and took out a remarkable right hand to the furthest stick from the goalkeeper to make it 3-2 and go out to celebrate, chest inflated, checking the genes.

In the World Cup of the category -the first in history- that took place months later in China, Argentina could not pass the first phase, tied on points with Germany but with a worse goal difference (+2 against +1). In that tournament it was debut and defeat against Australia (0-1), tie with the Germans (1-1) with a goal by Fernando Cáceres (Argentinos) and victory and farewell against Congo (4-2) with a double from Hugo and so many de Frutos and Diego Alvarez (Vélez). With his pair of shouts against the Africans, Maradona Jr. was reached to be his goal scorer in the tournament.

His precocious uncover in the Youth with that champion team of Carlos Pachamé in which Fernando Redondo (Argentinos) also stood out would be worth one and a thousand comparisons with his brother eight years older, and a quick start in Argentinos Juniors, where he played between 1985 and 1987, even being part of the 1986 Copa Libertadores and the Interamericana of that same year that the Bug stayed after beating the Defense Force of Trinidad and Tobago as a visitor, with a goal from the Panamanian Armando Dely Valdés . The cast of La Paternal had plenty of players at that time: two-time national champion and winner of the Libertadores between 1984 and 1985.

Hugo played 19 games at El Bicho, scoring one goal. In 1987 he had the opportunity to leave for Napoli in Italy, where his older brother was already the best in the world. There he had no chances and was loaned to Ascoli, where he added 19 games, without goals, although he did. He knew how to cross the court with Diego, on Saturday September 19 in a 2-1 victory for the Neapolitans. Hugo entered the field in the 58th minute, while Diego, who provided an assist that day, played the entire match.

Perhaps his best professional version was seen in Spain, at Rayo Vallecano between 1988 and 1990. Fluff in the wind, in the Madrid cast, he achieved promotion to the First Division in his debut season (35 games and 6 goals) and also suffered the loss of category the following year (29 games and 3 goals). Legend has it that, upon arriving at Rayo after a million pesetas, the “Turco”, barely 19 years old and a Boca fan like good Maradona, was surprised to see that the team’s jersey was identical to River’s.

As young as he was experienced, what followed for Hugo was a world tour: Rapid Viena from Austria, Deportivo Italia from Venezuela and Progreso from Uruguay before arriving in Japan, where he spent most of his career. Four jerseys in Japanese football, where he got two promotions to First Division, and 35 goals in 56 games in the highest category. Blurred statistics lands, the “Turk” totaled 81 points in Japan in 153 games; that is, an average of more than one goal every two games.

He retired in 1999, barely 30 years old, in Reef Brown, where he scored four times. Years later he began his career as trainer in the Puerto Rico Islanders to return to Italy, going through clubs of the deep promotion until 2018.

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