Barcelona set for fine after Lionel Messi’s tribute to Diego Maradona
The Argentine revealed a Newell’s Old Boys kit, previously worn by Maradona during his short spell with the club that produced Messi
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Your support makes all the difference.Barcelona will be fined €3,000 (£2,692) for Lionel Messi’s tribute to Diego Maradona after scoring in the win over Osasuna.
The Argentine revealed a Newell's Old Boys shirt, with both players previously featuring for the Rosario club.
Messi is routinely compared to Maradona, who passed away last week aged 60 after a cardiac arrest, over who is both the greatest player in Argentine football history and the greatest player of all time.
READ MORE: Paul Gascoigne shares brilliant Diego Maradona story in tribute to Argentine legend
Messi blew a kiss with his hands while looking to the sky in the 4-0 victory at the Nou Camp, with Martin Braithwaite, Antoine Griezmann and Philippe Coutinho also registering.
The celebration contravened the rules of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, with the Catalan club set to receive a fine.
“It was a great moment,” said Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman. “First, for the goal that Leo scored and then for the gesture he had for the death of Diego Maradona.
“He had surely been thinking of what he would do. For me, it was a great moment in every way.”
Messi begun his career at Newell’s before moving to Europe early to come through La Masia at Barcelona, while Maradona spent a year at the club from 1993-94 towards the end of his career.
Messi confirmed he attended Maradona’s debut for Newell’s as a kid when he spoke to TyC back in 2013.
READ MORE: ‘Diego is eternal’: Lionel Messi pays tribute to Argentine football icon Maradona
Messi posted a picture of the two players wearing the famous red and black kit, adding the caption: “Hasta siempre, Diego.”
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